


Apostasy

by BleuMorpho



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh!, Yu-Gi-Oh! The Dark Side of Dimensions
Genre: (Dub names), ...kind of, Established Relationship, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Mystery, Takes place within the DSOD universe, alternative universe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-16
Updated: 2018-05-02
Packaged: 2019-04-23 12:28:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 26,438
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14332494
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BleuMorpho/pseuds/BleuMorpho
Summary: Yugi keeps having the same nightmare every night — one where he runs through the rain in the dead of night, away from an unknown threat and praying for someone to save him. And yet, when he wakes, everything seems just as normal and happy as he always remembered.Until he begins to notice that perhaps this perfection is not all that it appears to be...





	1. Once We Were

 

_“…Things ended so suddenly between us. You used to be a part of me. But then you weren't and we had to face each other in a duel. A duel to determine whether I was ready to stand on my own. And when I defeated you, you left us. You left **me** …forever. _

_I know it was for the best, but I wish I had one more chance to let you know what you meant to me.”_

 

 

The dull roar of an oncoming storm echoed in Yugi’s ears as he ran through the damp streets of downtown Domino City. Speeding cars flashed by in an endless stream of blurred lights and colors, a shocking contrast to the endless darkness that lay beyond. A part of him realized that such an extensive, gaping abyss shouldn’t have even been possible in such a bustling city, where towering glass skyscrapers fought for dominance and space among the latticework of street crossings and sidewalks. It was the light that protected him, the unknown that pursued him, and even as his calves began to cramp and his lungs began to burn, he knew with every fiber of his being that if he stopped for a single moment, his death would follow.

 

Who was chasing him?

 

Why was he being hunted in the first place?

 

Why did panic claw at every chamber of his heart when he didn’t even know the cause?

 

Faster and faster through the rain he sprinted, his body growing weary and his clothes clinging to his skin in the most uncomfortable of places. The world was hazy and empty, despite the ever-passing evening traffic, and he appeared to be the only human occupant in this twisted realm of darkness itself. The only one, of course, except for those that wished him harm.

 

‘ ** _Help me!_** ’ he called frantically in his mind, though to whom he prayed he hadn’t the slightest idea. ‘ ** _Please, help me! I don’t want to die!_** ’  

 

But time was running out. He couldn’t run forever.

 

His frantic pace faltered to a stop. His breath escaped in harsh pants as his eyes searched his surroundings for any sign that he was not alone. The rain continued to roar as the darkness spread, swallowing what little precious light was left of this world and everything that came with it.

 

Yugi’s body shook, far more from fear than the cold, as everything went black without a sound.

  

* * *

  

Yugi jerked awake beneath the warm weight of blankets, his body curled up tightly against the chill still running through his veins. His head pulsed weakly when his eyes met the faint light of the early morning sun filtering through the barrier of his comforter, and he was helpless to stop the deep yawn that clawed its way up his throat. Far too awake than he was used to, Yugi uncurled his aching limbs and allowed the blankets to fall away as he sat up and glanced at the room’s other occupant.

 

Atem’s still-sleeping form lay bundled and still on the other side of their bedroom, his untamed spikes of hair peeking out over the top of his pillow. The Millennium Puzzle hung from its chain on Atem’s bedpost, faintly glimmering in the rays of sun filtering in through the skylight. A quick glance at his alarm clock confirmed Yugi’s worst fears—only 6:00, and far too early to wake the sleeping king without receiving some form of retribution.

 

Yugi sighed and forced his body out from the warmth of his bed and down the hall to the bathroom. He begrudgingly started his morning routine, finishing by brushing his hair into some semblance of order before meandering downstairs into the kitchen. He smelled the faint bitterness of coffee, a sign that his grandfather had already begun to set things in order for the day, but any hopes of an early breakfast were lost the moment Yugi found the kitchen and dining room empty.

 

“Stupid weird dreams…” he murmured to the silent air, rubbing the side of his aching forehead as he filled the kettle with water and placed it on the stove. He collapsed in the nearest chair that he could reach, allowing his awareness to fade as he stared at the lifeless kettle and thought back on the cause of his misery.

 

He felt that this dream was a recurring one, even if he could never remember all of the details to confirm it. It had felt so real, so familiar, but no matter how hard he searched he couldn’t find a single reason it would stand out among any of the others. Why was this dream bothering him so much, and why couldn’t he shake off the cold that had carried over into his waking moments?

 

“Yugi?” He blinked and glanced over his shoulder to the doorway, where his grandpa stood staring with comically wide eyes. “You’re up already?! Is everything alright?”

 

“Everything’s fine, Grandpa, why wouldn’t they be?” Yugi asked, trying to push all thoughts of his dream from his mind.

 

“Normally you and Atem sleep like the dead until the alarm clock goes off! It must be the apocalypse, come at last!” the old man cried dramatically. Yugi pouted as the water within the kettle began to bubble in earnest.

 

“Hey, I can wake up early if I want to!”

 

“In the eighteen years you’ve been on this earth, I have never once witnessed such a thing,” Solomon chuckled, taking the seat across from his grandson and nursing his steaming mug of coffee in between his hands. “True statements aside, what gives? It’s one of your days off, isn’t it? Normally you’re both sleeping in until the sun is too high to ignore.”

 

“Eh,” Yugi shrugged. He pinched the inside of his cheek between his teeth for a long moment before giving in to temptation and voicing his chaotic thoughts. “…I’ve been having some really vivid dreams lately. And it always seems to be the same one.”

 

“Hmm…do you think it’s a vision?” Solomon asked quietly. Yugi shook his head, reaching for the golden Millennium Key that dangled from his neck.

 

“I don’t think so. The Key hasn’t shown any unusual activity...at least, none that I’ve noticed,” he said. His fingers traced over the Item’s edges, the soft, pulsating magic warming his fingertips. Just as he was about to discuss the topic further, however, the kettle began to wail from its place on the stove. Yugi set about making himself a cup of tea, leaning against the counter as they sipped at their caffeine in unison.

 

As a comfortable silence fell over the tiny kitchen, a shuffling figure appeared in the doorway without a sound of greeting. Yugi’s heart clenched as he took in Atem’s half-lidded eyes, his chaotic spikes of hair ruffled by a restless night, and the loose T-shirt and sweatpants he often wore to sleep in. Solomon snickered with a knowing smile as Atem grabbed the nearest empty cup, filled it to the brim with coffee, and then gulped down the entire piping hot beverage while the Muto men watched in fascinated resignation.

 

The pain in Yugi’s chest continued to throb as his expression fell into one of confusion. After all, this was what Atem always looked and acted like in the mornings. Why was he suddenly feeling this way?

 

What on earth was wrong with him today?

 

“I’m assuming the kettle woke you up, Your Highness?” Solomon asked. Atem groaned in acknowledgment as he refilled his cup, choosing to carry this one around as he moved across the kitchen and slammed his forehead down onto Yugi’s shoulder.

 

“Ow! What gives?” Yugi demanded, though he hadn’t the heart to push his partner away.

 

“Why is it so early?” Atem grumbled, his rich baritone voice reverberating up Yugi’s spine and settling deep into his bones. Yugi smirked as he reached around to rest his free hand around Atem’s waist.

 

“Well, you see! A long time ago, a man named Copernicus developed the concept that the planets rotated around this thing called the Sun—”

 

“And why must you sass me before I’ve had my second cup of coffee?” Said cup was lifted to barely parted lips, the gentle wafts of steam mingling in between their faces and causing Yugi to wince. He was the only one in the Game Shop that didn’t drink coffee, and he had no desire to begin now. “You’re up a little early, aren’t you? We’re not meeting the others until noon.”

 

“All the more reason to get an early start. We can go do our own stuff before we met the others for lunch,” Yugi deflected. Solomon sighed and pushed himself out of his chair, making his way over to the sink and pulling his favorite pans down from their hooks.

 

“I suppose I’d better start on breakfast, then,” he said.

 

“We can get that, Grandpa,” Yugi protested weakly, but his grandfather only shook his head.

 

“And risk His Royal Sleepy-ness burning down the house? Not a chance!” Atem lifted his head to glare in Solomon’s general vicinity, but it was half-hearted at best due to his lingering fatigue.

 

“I would be more offended if that statement wasn’t so accurate,” he grumbled.

 

Yugi chuckled and used the hand still wrapped around his partner’s waist to guide him out of the kitchen and slowly back up the stairs. In a dance perfected by years of routine and shared thoughts, they both showered and dressed for a day of touring the city, with words practically banished from their presence until they made their way back down to where Solomon had laid out their morning meal. They ate leisurely with the faint drone of the morning news playing in the background, and by the time the Game Shop’s ‘Open’ sign had been hung and Solomon had his broom in hand, the two teens had packed all they needed for the day and started down the sidewalk towards the heart of the city.

 

“How was the rehearsal? Did your speech go well?” Atem asked with a smile, his pale skin a sharp contrast to the black leather ensemble he had chosen for the day. Yugi’s attire was a bit more practical, with loose fitting cargo pants and a light vest to combat the early chill of spring. Their respective Millennium Items bumped lightly against their chests as they moved through the occasionally drifting crowds and laughing children.

 

“I think so. Joey fell asleep, but I don’t think it was personal,” he said. Atem chuckled, shaking his head as Yugi adjusted the bag over his shoulder. “But, then again, Tristan was moved to tears, so I suppose that’s as good of a compliment as any.”

 

“Oh, the highest! You should be filled with pride!” the young king boasted while searching the surrounding shops and vendors for anything of interest. They meandered through their usual shops without a specific aim, talking about the final exams that Yugi was anything but excited for and what their friends had planned for their futures. The morning passed by in a flash, and before Yugi could even blink, the clocks struck a quarter to twelve and they were rushing down to the mall to see if their friends had arrived.

 

Thankfully, they didn’t need to search very hard.

 

“—duel you right here, right now! In front of everyone!” Joey was shouting, shaking his fist in Kaiba’s face as the young billionaire lounged separately from the rest of the group with a bored expression.

 

“You say that every time and yet you still haven’t managed to beat me,” Kaiba responded, twirling the Millennium Rod between his fingers lazily. “I’m starting to wonder if you have some masochistic preferences, Wheeler? Why else would you keep coming back, begging for more pain?”

 

“I’ll show you who’s the masochist, ya pompous windbag!” the blonde growled threateningly, although his statements resulted in more confusion than rage.

 

“What does that even mean?!” Kaiba shouted, covering his eyes with clenched fists as though the very sight of Joey was causing him agony. “You are like brain cancer! MIND cancer—you’re hurting my ideas!”

 

“Will you two knock it off?!” Téa pleaded. She tried and failed to hide her embarrassed expression behind her ice cream cone, as though the treat would shield them all from the faceless crowds pointedly not looking in their group’s direction. “We are in _public_!”

 

“You know that won’t stop them, Téa,” Yugi spoke up, throwing her, Tristan, and Bakura a sympathetic look as he and Atem joined them in the center of the food court. A small chorus of warm greetings were thrown their way before Joey decided that a rematch against his nemesis was not worth the trouble and plopped back down into his seat.

 

“About time you guys got here! Téa predicted that you’d be a little late, but sheesh!” The blue-eyed dancer smiled and absentmindedly touched her Millennium Necklace at the mention of her fortune-telling talents. Atem shrugged and threw himself into a chair in between Kaiba and the rest of their friends.

 

“It’s not like we’re having an official meeting or anything,” he pointed out. Yugi noted with a smirk that it may as well have been, considering every Guardian of the Millennium Items was present and accounted for.

 

Tristan and Bakura shared a basket of fries while Joey fiddled with his Duel Disk and shot the occasional glare in Kaiba’s direction. Téa and Atem started conversing about her recent acceptance into her study abroad program, with the occasional jab and joke from the others when the moment was ripe. The wielder of the Millennium Rod looked the most out of place among them, with his favorite white coat spilling onto the floor like a cape and his expression hard as stone. The only person who didn’t appear to be present from their official council was—

 

“Sorry I’m late, everyone!”

 

Yugi turned with a smile as Aigami jogged up to join them, his breath slightly labored and his cheeks red with exertion. A second cheer of welcoming was released at his appearance, before Aigami seemed to remember himself and bowed deeply to where Atem sat.

 

“My deepest apologies, Your Majesty!”

 

“Oh, there’s no need for that, Aigami. You’re not on duty remember?” Atem said kindly. Aigami shook his head, though his smile grew wider at the king’s blessing.

 

“A Guardian-in-training is always on duty, Your Majesty.” Yugi wordlessly pulled up a chair, making as much room as he could for their apprentice at the crowded table. “I didn’t miss any of the fun, I hope?”

 

“Nah, man, it’s just starting! In fact, how’s about we all go to the arcade? Kaiba’s treat!” Joey said with a grin. Kaiba picked up a salt shaker and threw it at the back of Joey’s head, his expression never shifting or changing its intensity. Bakura and Tristan hid their laughter behind their hands as Joey’s face turned a deep red in anger, but just as he was about to stand and make a second commotion, a soft golden light suddenly erupted from Téa’s Millennium Necklace.

 

The young dancer set aside her half-eaten ice cream, closing her eyes and covering the glowing Item as the other Guardians waited with baited breath to see what the future revealed to her.

 

“An attack is coming. A turquoise-colored dragon with four wings and a large beak,” she stated softly. Atem and Kaiba shared a look.

 

“A Different Dimension Dragon?”

 

“Most likely,” Atem murmured, turning his attention back to the fortune-teller with a grim frown.

 

“It’ll attack a nearby supermarket and the surrounding buildings in about half an hour,” Téa finished. She opened her eyes as the light of her vision faded away, and the group all sighed with varying levels of annoyance and acceptance. Tristan grabbed the remaining fries and stuffed them all into his mouth as Yugi stood and stretched.

 

“Well, duty calls! Let’s go, Aigami!”

 

“Yes, sir!” The group made their way to the mall exit, with Aigami dutifully bringing up the rear and watching each Guardian carefully. The majority of them wouldn’t need to use their Millenium Items until they got to the actual battle, but the young teen had always been extremely devoted to learning all that he could about the Items and their power. Yugi was particularly fond of having Aigami around, and he always tried to include him in any council business that he could.

 

“It feels like these monsters just keep appearing more and more each day,” Tristan complained. Bakura and Joey nodded, while Kaiba smirked at their forlorn expressions.

 

“And you dweebs call yourselves Guardians? You have no drive for victory! It’s pathetic!” he said. Atem and Yugi rolled their eyes in unison.

 

“Kaiba, please, save it for the dragon.” Atem led their group to the middle of the sidewalk outside the mall, turning to Bakura with a soft, expectant expression. The white-haired teen nodded with a smile and lifted his Millennium Ring with both hands. The central eye started to glow just as Téa’s had a few moments before, and after only a few moments, a single golden prong lifted into the air and pointed in the western direction.

 

“If we head that way, we should make it to the area before the dragon appears,” Bakura explained. The remainder of the group all nodded, allowing the Millennium Ring to guide them through the city streets in weighted silence. They ignored the bustling businesses that littered the sides of the roads, passing groups of small schoolchildren and various duelists in equal measure as an open square came into view.

 

“This is it!” Téa cried, pointing over to where the large sign of a local food market hung on the side of a large skyscraper. Atem nodded, turning to address his loyal Guardians with an expression hardened with confidence and authority. 

 

“Alright! Téa, Bakura, and Aigami—you all head to higher ground and keep a close eye on the battlefield. We don’t want to risk the dragon flying off into another part of the city.” The three teens in question nodded in understanding before rushing off in the opposite direction of the supermarket. Atem turned to the remaining Guardians in expectation. “Gentlemen, you all know the drill.”

 

“Yes, Your Majesty!” they responded in unison.

 

Yugi turned and ran to the far side of the square, keeping the supermarket within his periphery as their group formed a wide arc around the entrance. In the distance, he saw Tristan and Joey raise their right arms and summon their Millennium Items from the golden gauntlets around their wrists. Joey placed the Scale at his feet while Tristan kept the Eye clutched tightly within his right hand, and they all readied their Duel Disks in preparation for summoning their monsters against the still-absent dragon. Atem stood proudly in the center of their arc, staring down the space before them with a fierce glare that Yugi could only ever dream of replicating.

 

It took little time after their preparation for their target to appear.

 

It started as a deep rumbling beneath their feet, quickly transforming into a deep, angry roar that cracked the windows of the skyscraper from the ground up. A dark cloud tainted with purple light exploded from the entrance of the supermarket in a shower of glass and debris, the smooth wings of the Different Dimension Dragon pushing all obstacles out of its path as it emerged into the open air before the battle-ready Guardians. In unison, the Millennium Items glowed with immense power as each duelist pulled a single card from their decks.

 

“Get ready, boys!” Tristan shouted, throwing down his card and summoning Cyber Commander to stand at his side. Joey followed, summoning his Red-Eyes Black Dragon and laughing with the jubilant energy of battle. In the order of their line-up, the remaining duelists summoned their most loyal monsters from their decks—Dark Magician, the Blue-Eyes White Dragon, and Dark Magician Girl—within a flash of light that emanated from their powerful relics.

 

“Surround it!” Atem ordered.

 

The Different Dimension Dragon attempted to fly straight into the sky, but screeched in indignation when it found its path blocked by the Red-Eyes and Blue-Eyes Dragons. Despite their superior firepower, the turquoise dragon wiggled and dodged the balls of flame and lightning that rained down from above and altered its path back down towards the ground. Tristan’s Cyber Commander was waiting with his guns locked and loaded, firing streams of bullets along the ground to push their prey away from any open paths into the city. Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl flew forward with their magical staffs held aloft, combining their dark energies and aiming straight between their opponent’s eyes.

 

“Double Dark Magic Attack!” Yugi and Atem shouted together, squinting against the bright wave of multi-colored light that erupted throughout the square. The Different Dimension Dragon’s screeches echoed into silence as the magical blast ripped its body into two almost equal parts, the tattered remains fluttering in the shockwaves of the battle.

 

“Easy as pie!” Joey cried triumphantly, but just as the others began to relax along with him, a stream of dark particles began to erupt from the open wounds along the Different Dimension Dragon’s sides. Its cold, lifeless eyes suddenly glowed with renewed fury, and where there had been a defeated, bisected corpse not seconds before now flew two complete Different Dimension Dragons. Joey blinked and tried not to look too embarrassed under Tristan and Kaiba’s pointed glares. “Eh, nevermind!”

 

“This is ridiculous! I literally have a million better things to do with my time!” Kaiba growled. With a deep scowl, he snatched the Millennium Rod out of its leather holster at his hip and pointed it in the direction of Joey, Tristan, and Yugi’s monsters. “Hand over your monsters, dorks! Let a pro show you how it’s done!”

 

Their loyal monsters began to glow in a deep blue light, each of them flowing in a steady stream up into a writhing mass above Kaiba’s head. With a triumphant smirk, Kaiba reached into the depths of the light to pull out a card from seemingly thin air, slamming it down into his Duel Disk and causing the air around them to grow thick with heat and light.

 

“Come forth, Obelisk the Tormentor!”

 

Yugi gasped as the ground behind his rival shifted and broke, a familiar dark crown bursting from the center of the earth and rising into the air. Obelisk’s angry red eyes stared down at the screeching Different Dimension Dragons, heavy bits of concrete sailing through the air and smashing into crumpled piles around them. Kaiba’s bloodthirsty laugh echoed among his God Card’s mighty roars and groans, and Yugi barely heard him give the order to attack.

 

It was over before Yugi could even blink. One moment the dragons were cowering against the side of the building’s remains, and the next they were crushed beneath the might of Obelisk’s blue knuckles. Their twisted, broken bodies exploded into countless tiny particles of purple light, dispersing into the air and flying away into oblivion. The wind finally began to die down as Obelisk retreated back behind his summoner, and it was only after Atem had pointedly cleared his throat that Kaiba removed the card from his Duel Disk and allowed the image of his Egyptian God to fade away.

 

“Well...that was certainly more destructive than I had anticipated,” Atem murmured. They glanced around at the rubble left behind by their battle, with all but Seto Kaiba wincing in sheepish regret for their part in the onslaught.

 

“Need a hand, boys?” Téa’s voice called in the distance. Yugi glanced up to see the female Guardian waving with a knowing smile from the top of a nearby building with Bakura and Aigami standing at her side. She pulled a card from the deck resting within the palm of her hand and raised it high above her head with a warm chuckle. “Rain of Mercy!”

 

Gentle white clouds spread across the sky, just enough to cover the small expanse of Domino City affected by the battle but not enough to completely impede the rays of the sun, and a gentle shower of rain began to fall over them in a steady stream. Bits of fallen concrete and the shattered remains of the buildings’ glass windows glowed and reconstructed themselves by the power of Téa’s magic, while Joey and Tristan began to run in panicked circles on their side of the square.

 

“No! Téa, think of my cards! They’ll be ruined!”

 

“My Duel Disk’s gonna electrocute me!”

 

“Take cover, Tristan! Save yourself!”

 

“It’s _magic_ _healing_ rain, you imbeciles, so knock it off!” Kaiba shouted angrily. Yugi felt the gentle bubble of laughter burst within his chest, until he found himself bent over with his arms clenched around his waist and high-pitched giggles falling from his lips without his control. When he managed to open his eyes again, he found Kaiba scowling down at the ground and Atem beaming at him with the widest smile Yugi had ever seen on his face.

 

As the clouds cleared away to reveal a perfectly restored city, Yugi allowed himself to bask in the joy of being surrounded by his friends like this. He knew that perfection was impossible, and yet he couldn’t imagine anything more perfect than his life right now—he and all of his friends, fighting together and living their lives to the fullest. There were no ancient prophecies to fulfil, no evil mad men attempting to seize control of the world, and every duel they fought was fun and honorable.

 

…but then, perfection was a fragile thing...and perhaps that perfection was why it all fell apart so easily.

 


	2. Doubt

 

The next day, Yugi spent the entire morning trying not to let his mind wander too far away from the lessons their teachers were forcing into the last few days of the semester. The soft scratchings of his classmates’ pencils and the rhythmic click of chalk on the board were practically begging him to close his eyes and nap (much like Joey seemed keen on doing in the far corner of the classroom), but his overactive mind wouldn’t have let him rest even if he tried. Despite his best efforts, the duel they had all participated in the previous afternoon replayed over and over in an endless loop within the depths of his mind.

 

At first, he hadn’t been able to understand what precisely stuck out to him about that particular match. He replayed every word they had spoken, every move that their target had made, but it wasn’t until he began analyzing their summoning that something came to him. All of their monsters were quite familiar to him by now, based on the countless times they had gotten their respective owners out of trouble and led them to victory, but there was one particular monster that he felt didn’t belong.

 

Obelisk the Tormentor.

 

‘ _It doesn’t make sense. Kaiba gave that card to Atem after he was crowned the King of Games in Battle City. If anybody should have it in their deck, it’s…_ ’ Yugi’s thoughts trailed off as his head throbbed and his vision blurred, the messy scribbles of his notes wavering in and out of focus as his memories flashed by in a cloudy flash. ‘ _No…wait…that’s not right. Atem was already the King by then…so…what…?_ ’

 

“—gi? Hey, earth to Yugi! You in there?” The young duelist blinked out of his inner turmoil with a small gasp, glancing up to see Joey and the others all crowded around his desk with various expressions of concern on their faces.

 

“Huh? What’s up?” he asked, though a quick scan of the surrounding desks gave him his answer before Joey explained.

 

“It’s lunch time, man! What, you space out or something?” The blonde duelist leaned forward onto Yugi’s desk, staring intently at Yugi’s face as though he were trying to see exactly what thoughts plagued his best friend’s chaotic state of mind. Yugi shook off the feelings of uncertainty and put on his most enthusiastic smile.

 

“Sorry! Just thinking about the upcoming graduation!” he said quickly. He chuckled uncomfortably when the group of faces before him remained unmoved, but thankfully they all heaved a collective sigh and turned to take their lunches to the roof. Yugi quickly grabbed his own lunchbox and stood up to follow them.

 

“Sure you were! And I bet none of those thoughts included Atem and that tight leather outfit he wore yesterday,” Joey said with a lewd grin. Yugi’s face grew hot and red, his wrapped lunchbox clattering down onto the floor as it slipped from his hands in his shock. His friends all chuckled as he quickly picked it up and started swatting Joey’s arm with it.

 

“What?! What is _that_ supposed to mean?” he cried. Joey laughed as he dashed ahead of the group, and Yugi used all of the speed he could achieve with his smaller legs to chase after him. “Get back here, Joey! What are you trying to imply anyway?!”

 

“I know what I said, and so do you!” the blonde exclaimed, his grin never faltering.

 

“No running in the halls!” a nearby teacher shouted. The two teens ignored her as they made their way to their usual spot against the chain-linked fence surrounding the school rooftop, where Yugi cornered Joey against the wall and glared at him through his fierce blush.

 

“Alright, alright! Don’t look at me like that! I’m just kidding around, Yuge!” Yugi grumbled and sat himself on the edge of the roof, aggressively opening his lunch and ignoring where his best friend stood snickering at his embarrassment.

 

Yugi and Atem had never actually sat down and talked about their relationship with one another, despite the closeness they had shared and the deep bond that had formed between them over the years. It wasn’t that they were ashamed of how much they cared for one another, nor would their friends be at all judgmental of how they decided to define it, but...in the back of Yugi’s mind, he knew that he was the one who kept them from allowing their close friendship to develop into something more. Resting in plain sight among his feelings of love and desire lay an all-encompassing fear, one that he had never been brave enough to analyze or try to conquer.

 

Instead, they continued to dance along the fine line between friendship and romance, with Yugi always falling back behind his defenses whenever he started leaning too far over the edge.

 

“Are you done trying to kill each other?” Tristan said with a grin as the rest of the Guardians and Aigami made their way over to where Yugi sat. The wielder of the Millennium Key said nothing, choosing instead to glare blankly ahead as he munched on his sandwich while his friends began to unpack their own lunches. “If it’s down to brute force, I’m afraid Joey will cream you no problem, Yugi. Then again, if it’s a duel, then the opposite is _definitely_ true.”

 

“What? I’ll have you know I can beat any one of you! Any time, any place!” Joey groused. The others all laughed with good humor, settling down in their usual spots and beginning to feast on their homemade meals.

 

Yugi stared at each of his friends in turn, their aimless chatter sinking below his conscious awareness as he took in every detail about them. Their school uniforms all looked the same, every wrinkle and every button exactly as he always remembered it, and each of their Millennium Items sparkled in the afternoon sun as they continued to eat away their worries. Finding no clear reason for his sudden gloominess, he turned to stare out at the tall cornucopia of skyscrapers and businesses in the distance. He could see the shapeless crowds speckled throughout the streets that were visible from their school, their destinations and purposes unknown and unimportant to him in the grand scheme of things.

 

Something was wrong, that much he knew. But he couldn’t pinpoint exactly what it was, nor could he figure out a way to explain his chaotic thoughts aloud should anybody ask.

 

“Yugi? Would you like to try some of my fried chicken?” Bakura asked suddenly, holding up his lunchbox with a small smile of offering. “I’m trying a new seasoning, but I honestly can’t tell if it’s better than my usual blend.”

 

“Sure,” Yugi said, forcing down all of his gloomy thoughts and holding out his own box to accept the piece of food between Bakura’s chopsticks. “Thanks, Bakura! It looks amazing!”

 

“No problem! Let me know what you think,” the British teen said. As Yugi raised the crispy meat to his lips, a sudden shift of the Millennium Ring caught his eye. It dangled from Bakura’s neck just as the Millennium Key did from his own, swinging against his shirt and resting lifelessly against his chest.

 

A sudden burst of agony spread up from the base of Yugi’s skull, wrapping around both of his temples and pressing firm enough for him to grind his teeth against the pain. The image of the Ring flashed and pulsed, all within seconds of his sudden headache and never once affecting what his eyes actually perceived. He forced himself to swallow down the sudden dryness of his mouth and throat, sticking the piece of chicken into his mouth when he caught sight of Aigami glancing worriedly in his direction.

 

Bakura was right. It did taste better than usual.

 

Yugi felt like vomiting.

 

* * *

 

 

The school day ended quickly, a small miracle for Yugi’s continuously throbbing head, and he wasted no time in seeking out Bakura as they prepared to depart for home.

 

“Hey, Bakura?” he asked softly, causing his white-haired friend to smile questioningly in his direction. “I know this might sound odd, but would you mind if I walked with you a bit? I wanted to talk to you about something.”

 

“Oh?” Bakura swung his bag out of his locker and nudged the door closed behind him. “Sure thing, Yugi. What’s up?”

 

“Um, it’s kind of a…sensitive topic,” Yugi said, pointedly glancing down at the Millennium Ring with a frown. Bakura blinked, but then nodded in understanding before leading him out of the door and down the crowded sidewalk. They walked side-by-side until the amount of classmates began to disperse en masse, and it was only as the sun finally began to dip below the distant horizon that Bakura chose to voice his question again.

 

“So, what did you want to talk about?”

 

Yugi’s fingers tightened around the handles of his backpack, his headache worsening with every passing minute.

 

“I was wondering…well, it’s just…gah, I don’t know how to put it,” Yugi growled softly. He felt more than saw Bakura reach over and place a supporting hand on his shoulder. 

 

“It’s fine, Yugi. You can ask me anything, I promise!” he said. Yugi sighed and nodded, reaching up to run his index finger along the edges of his Millennium Key.

 

“...has your Millennium Ring felt...any different to you lately?” he asked, causing his fellow Guardian to raise his eyebrows in shock.

 

“Different? Different how?”

 

“That’s just it. I don’t really know. It’s just…” Yugi stopped in the center of the sidewalk, staring at where the Millennium Ring rested against Bakura’s shirt when the taller teen stopped a few steps ahead of him. “For some reason, I feel like there’s something off about the Items. Like, I remember them affecting some of us differently than the way they do now.”

 

“Has the Key been acting up somehow?” Bakura asked with growing concern. Yugi shook his head, lifting his Millennium Item up so he could observe it more closely.

 

“No. At least, I don’t think so. I feel the same as I always have,” he explained.

 

“…Yugi…why are you asking _me_ this? Wouldn’t it make more sense for you to go to Atem with these questions?”

 

“That’s the other thing! I know it sounds strange, but I feel as though your Millennium Item is the one that’s most out of place.” Bakura took a step backward, his fingers clutching at the golden outer ring in a fierce grip and a small sense of hurt flashing in his eyes. Yugi winced, trying to find a way to backtrack and explain himself more clearly. “I mean, you don’t seem to be acting strange or anything! Far from it! I just wanted to make sure you’re feeling okay when you wear it!”

 

For a tense moment, the two men stared at one another in silence with varying levels of confusion and scrutiny. Thankfully, Bakura seemed to recognize the underlying desire to help within Yugi’s eyes, and sighed with a small smile before shaking his head.

 

“Thank you, Yugi—I really do mean that—but I assure you, I feel fine!” He eased his fingers from around the Ring and readjusted his bag within his other grip. “The Ring has always been a comforting presence to me. It’s the last gift that my father ever gave to me, and it’s the reason I became friends with all of you in the first place. I wouldn’t trade that for all the gold in the world.”

 

“And it’s not hurting you at all?” Yugi clamped his mouth shut, his eyes widening at his sudden boldness.

 

“Hurting me? Why would it be hurting me? It never has before,” Bakura said curiously. Yugi quickly waved that line of questioning away, rubbing his forehead with his fingers and staring down at his shoes.

 

“I know. I don’t—just forget I said that! Of course it wouldn’t,” he said. Bakura approached him with a deep frown, looking Yugi over from top to bottom as if his strange behavior would be explained by some minor detail on his person.

 

“Are you sure you’re feeling okay? Do you want me to walk you home?” Yugi glanced up at his friend’s wide eyes, full of concern and affection that Yugi knew that he was lucky to receive. He forcibly banished the fear and uncertainty still pulsing in his chest down to the darkest corners of his heart, putting on a brave face and shaking his head in refusal.

 

“Thanks, but I’m fine. I don’t know why I was so worried about this stuff in the first place,” he whispered.

 

“It’s because you care about us,” Bakura pointed out easily. “Each of us. And trust me, you never have to worry about me. If I need help, I promise I’ll mention it—Millennium Item problems included.”

 

Yugi heaved a deep sigh of relief, his smile widening with true happiness for the first time that evening. They decided to put the issue to bed by bidding each other farewell, turning, and walking in the directions of their respective homes with promises to see each other in class the next day.

 

And yet, as soon as Bakura was out of sight, everything came crashing back down upon Yugi’s shoulders with even more ferocity than before.

 

‘ ** _Why would it be hurting me?_** ’ Bakura had asked. 

 

‘ _Because that’s what it does._ ’

 

Yes.

 

He remembered now. He had seen it happen over and over again, through countless battles and twisted games of destiny.

 

As Yugi walked among the expressionless inhabitants of his beloved Domino City, sharp unyielding images began to pour into his brain one after another. A deadly Shadow Game of Duel Monsters on an island kingdom, a battle of terror among the clouds, a strange conversation in the dark of night among the rats and the rain -- each remembered encounter soundless with a common thread of connection. He remembered how the darkness within the Millennium Ring would possess his precious friend, the friend who always had the softest heart of all of them, and dirty his hands with cruelty and pain. He remembered how he always tried to believe that it would be the last time, that Bakura would finally be free of this unjust torment once the Ring was finally disposed of.

 

‘ _But he said it’s never hurt him before, and I know now that that’s a lie. Is the Ring altering his memories? Or is he hiding something, like all those other times?_ ’ Yugi pondered grimly.

 

…no.

 

There was something else at work, here. For Bakura was not the only one who didn’t make sense—just this morning, he had felt the same doubts about Kaiba and his Egyptian God Card.

 

What he perceived in his current world was not the reality his memories were beginning to reveal, but how was he supposed to know which of his memories were true and which were false? Was this madness finally come to claim him after so many years of exposure to the Shadows? Was he simply imagining this second life in his head, his overactive dreams and fantasies invading his waking moments without his control or permission?

 

It was all too much…It was…

 

“Yugi!”

 

“Huh?” The young duelist blinked out of his dark reverie to find himself standing almost directly in front of the Game Shop, and was both amazed and relieved to see Atem standing in the doorway waiting for him. “…Atem.”

 

“I was beginning to worry. You’re not normally this late,” the King of Games said with a smile. “Don’t tell me you had detention again?”

 

Perhaps it was the gentle way that the burning sky cast Atem in a golden light, or maybe it was the softness of his eyes when he looked at Yugi’s face, but something about seeing his most loyal partner and closest of friends welcoming him home caused every wall within Yugi’s heart to fall to pieces. His eyes glazed over with tears he couldn’t control or explain, and before he knew what was happening, he was sprinting forward and throwing his face into Atem’s favorite black tank top with a soft whimper. All of the confusion and uneasiness that had plagued him suddenly seemed so far away, powerless against the happiness coursing through his body and soul.

 

“Yugi?! Is something wrong?” Atem asked, his strong hands gripping Yugi’s shoulders but refusing to push him away. The smaller duelist shook his head, shamelessly wrapping his arms around Atem’s back and burying himself deeper against his partner’s chest.

 

“I’m sorry. It was a long day,” he sniffed. The slight tension in Atem’s muscles seemed to slacken at that, and his hands moved to embrace Yugi with just the right amount of tightness.

 

“I’m sorry to hear that. How do I make it better?” he asked softly. Yugi smiled, just barely managing to suppress his tears and allowing himself to bask in the closeness of his one and only King. 

 

“You already do. Just give me a minute.”

 

“I would give you an eternity, if that’s what you asked of me,” Atem murmured against Yugi’s ear, tickling the soft skin above his leather buckled collar. Hidden in the safety of Atem’s shirt, Yugi allowed himself to blush.

 

“No need to be so suave, Your Majesty. Don’t you have an ‘OFF’ switch for that or something?” he asked teasingly. Atem chuckled into Yugi’s hair, never once loosening his grip or stepping away from Yugi’s hug.

 

“I’m afraid not. My natural charm and dashing good looks are a burden I must bear constantly.” The two teens laughed together softly, standing content in the fading light of the sun in a comfortable silence that neither had the heart to break. Atem’s body was warm and so devastatingly _alive_ that Yugi practically melted against him, even though a small, timid voice in the back of his head warned him that they probably looked ridiculous standing so close out where anyone could walk by and see them.

 

‘ _I don’t care. Let them see,_ ’ he argued back. ‘ _He’s special to me. I’ll hold him if I want to!_ ’

 

“Not to intrude on this touching display,” a gravelly voice spoke up, causing Yugi to raise his face and peek over Atem’s shoulder at where his grandfather stood smiling, “but if you two stand out there much longer you might catch a cold.”

 

“Sorry, Grandpa!” The old shop owner chuckled and made his way back inside, carrying his trusty broom and dusting off his apron. Yugi eased himself away from his royal partner with some amount of difficulty, though the King of Games was just as reluctant to pull away if his pouting lips were any indication. “He’s right. Plus, I’m starving!”

 

“Will you be alright?” Atem asked softly, brushing the blonde bangs out of Yugi’s eyes and searching for any indications that Yugi was about to break down a second time.

 

While Yugi certainly hadn’t pushed the strange occurrences of the day completely out of his mind, Atem’s mere presence had given him the perfect amount of relief that his weary mind needed to continue on. He didn’t know what was going on, and he didn’t know if there was anything he could do to fix what he believed to be broken, but he was determined to find out. For now, he would continue to investigate on his own, and once he had some concrete evidence to back up his strange memories, then Atem would be the first to hear all about it.

 

“Yeah, I’ll be fine.”

 

 


	3. Absolute Configuration

 

The next day went by in a blur, with all of the Guardians agreeing to meet up after school at a local burger restaurant to hang out and reorganize their Duel Monsters decks. Even Kaiba, who often claimed he had no time for such mundane things as a normal high school education, showed a rare initiative and joined them once they had all settled into the largest booths and tables available in the rear of the restaurant. Yugi, Téa, Tristan, and Aigami all munched on their burgers while Kaiba and Joey bickered over their respective decks’ superiority. Atem and Bakura, having more sense and less of a grudge to project, were calmly discussing their own decks with far more decorum and much less volume on the other side of the table.

 

“I swear to God, if you call me a dog one more time—”

 

“You’ll what, Wheeler? Bark at me until I submit?”

 

“How ‘bout I break into your stuffy mansion and pee all over your stuff? That’ll teach ya!”

 

“Joey, that’s disgusting!” Téa screeched in horror. Yugi choked on the large bite of hamburger that he had foolishly been attempting to swallow as his friend engaged in verbal warfare with his nemesis, causing Atem to reach over in a panic and pound roughly on his back until the food finally dislodged. Bakura and Tristan both buried their faces into the crooks of their arms to hide their guilty laughter, while Kaiba and Joey continued to glare at one another.

 

“You’d never even make it to the front door, you worthless piece of garbage. My bodyguards would have you thrown into the street the moment you showed your ugly face!”

 

“Bring ‘em on! I’ll take every single one of your lackeys down no problem!” Just as the two men appeared to be on the verge of a physical altercation, the manager of the restaurant stomped up to their table and glared pointedly in their direction. Everyone sank down into their seats in shame (with the exception of Kaiba, who glared right back) and went back to eating their food in heavy silence. Once the manager had moved far enough away again, they continued their discussions with a notably lower volume.

 

“Will you two give it a rest? You almost killed Yugi!” Atem scolded. Joey had the decency to look sheepish, though Kaiba simply rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to his deck. Yugi waved Atem’s concerns away, taking a deep swig of his soda before coughing his throat clear.

 

“I’m okay!”

 

“Besides, arguing against a deck with a God Card in it is rather pointless, isn’t it?” Aigami spoke up with a furrowed brow. “They’re the most powerful monsters in the entire game. Nothing can beat them!”

 

Yugi turned to stare at where Kaiba was reclining back in his seat with a proud smirk, his eyes falling uneasily to where his rival’s cards lay spread out on the table for all to see. Obelisk was one of many monsters lying innocently among the rest of Kaiba’s cards, and at the sight of the mighty beast, Yugi’s paranoia once again reared its ugly head.  It certainly appeared to be a real card, and its appearance matched what Yugi remembered of it, but seeing Seto Kaiba still in blatant possession of it rattled him in ways that he couldn’t seem to understand.

 

“That’s not necessarily true, Aigami,” Atem said kindly. His deep voice and lecturing tone drew the full attention of everyone at the table, and he shuffled his own deck as if in demonstration. “The Egyptian God Cards are extremely powerful, but they are not invincible. All you need is the right cards, the right strategy, and the belief that your deck will come through for you when you need it the most.”

 

“Blah, blah, blah. Empty platitudes from an empty threat,” Kaiba scoffed. “My deck is ten times stronger than yours will ever be, _Your Highness_. With or without my Obelisk the Tormentor!”

 

“Ten times, you say? Isn’t that how many times I’ve beaten you?” Atem asked innocently.

 

“No, you’ve only beat me, like—wait, NO!” The entire group, save for Kaiba and Yugi, erupted into uncontrollable bouts of laughter. Joey, in particular, seemed to take immense pleasure in the dark red tint to Kaiba’s cheeks.

 

“Not so tough after all, are ya rich boy?”

 

“That’s it! I’ve had enough out of you!” Kaiba lurched out of his seat and reached for Joey’s shirt, only for the tall blonde to dodge his grip and swing around his back. They ran across the restaurant in a frenzied fury, catching the attention of the manager and restaurant staff once again. Atem and the others all stood up in terrified awe as they watched the chaos unfold, while Yugi glanced carefully at every face in turn before making his move.

 

He knew he would probably never get another chance to inspect Obelisk the Tormentor up close. Kaiba was far too possessive and proud to relinquish it to him, even for a short period of time entirely in his presence, and Yugi was desperate to set his nerves at ease in whatever way that he could manage. He reached out and snatched the card off of the pile Kaiba left behind, easing it into the pocket of his pants as he eased himself out of his seat and grabbed his backpack from the floor. Thankfully, all of his friends were far too engrossed in the uncomfortable scene of two of their Guardians being scolded and threatened with lifelong banishment from the restaurant like misbehaving toddlers.

 

“Well, that’s the end of this play-date, I think,” he said as casually as he could manage. Atem and Téa nodded uneasily, their eyes never straying from the ongoing dispute. “I think I’m going to head out. I promised Grandpa I’d pick some things up from the market before I went home today. You guys go on ahead without me.”

 

Atem blinked out of his shock at that, glancing at Yugi with a mixture of confusion and curiosity.

 

“You did? Do you want me to join you?”

 

“No, it’s fine. Besides, I get the feeling you’re going to have to be the one to sort  _that_ all out,” he said, gesturing with his head at where Joey was now on his knees begging the manager not to ban him from the restaurant for life with fat tears streaming down his face. Kaiba was standing with his back facing away from them all, though Yugi could have sworn that he heard the taller teen grumble something about buying out the restaurant chain out of spite.

 

“…I suppose you’re right,” Atem murmured, clearly unhappy with the idea but unable to deny its truth. Yugi chuckled as he waved farewell to each of his friends, carefully skirting around Joey and Kaiba as he made his way out of the front entrance and down the sidewalk. 

 

He walked as briskly as he could without drawing too much attention to his retreat, and it was only after he had traveled far enough to be well out of sight of the restaurant patrons that he broke into a full sprint. He ran down dark alleyways and through practically empty crossroads until he was in a fully secluded part of the city, where he finally stopped to catch his breath and used his Millennium Key to summon Curse of Dragon from his deck. The yellow dragon allowed him to hop onto its back with a soft screech and carried him into the sky as discreetly as possible.

 

Once they were gliding comfortably among the clouds, Yugi removed Obelisk from his pocket and held it delicately within his hands.

 

It certainly looked as fierce as he remembered—and in both versions of the memories floating inside his head, no less. It felt as real as the clothes on his back, with the same thickness and rigidity that his body recognized with a Duel Monsters trading card. And yet, deep inside his heart, he knew that there was more to it than a simple muscle memory of card games.

 

“ ** _The descent of this mighty creature shall be heralded by burning winds and twisted land. And with the coming of this horror, those who draw breath shall know the true meaning of eternal slumber,_** ” he read aloud softly.

 

That much was true—he had seen it himself.

 

The fury of the God Cards as they struck down all who opposed them.

 

He closed his eyes against the soft caress of the wind as he allowed his mind to rest and surrender, the mangled stream of memories altering their aimless path and flowing into his brain unabated. Flashes of light, of lightning and fire clashing amongst the darkness, and then a sense of relief and uncertainty once the smoke had finally settled. He remembered holding all three of the Egyptian God Cards in his hand atop a jagged tower built from the hardened remains of broken dreams, his victory against a fallen servant’s trauma absolute and his soul weary from the ordeal.

 

‘ _Memories can be so annoying_ ,’ Yugi groused to himself. ‘ _Just when I think I have the answer to one question, a thousand more spring up in its place!_ ’

 

Because he _did_ remember—back when his body was a shared vessel, a container for two souls on a journey to bring an end to the darkness once and for all. They had defeated Kaiba in the semifinals of Battle City and received Obelisk the Tormentor as their prize, but despite the evidence in his hand to suggest the contrary, he couldn’t conjure a single memory of them ever returning the card to Kaiba after the tournament had reached its completion. This God Card, as well as its sacred brethren, should have belonged to them—or, more specifically, to Atem—and there was no reason that Kaiba should have it in his deck.

 

As the memories of Battle City became clearer and clearer, a sudden thought struck him from the depths of his turmoil.

 

‘ _Atem_ …’

 

…if they had fought in Battle City together…then when…and _why_ …had they separated?

 

Before that chain of thought could go any further, a sudden screech of terror ripped from Curse of Dragon’s throat—the only warning that Yugi had before a white blast of energy surging with electric power was aimed directly at them from below. He cried out as his dragon reared up to avoid the attack, causing its rider to fall backwards and into the open air around them. The air rushed out of Yugi’s lungs as he tumbled into a freefall through the clouds, his dragon desperately flailing its body in a failed attempted to save him from certain doom.

 

It was by pure instinct that he kept Obelisk clutched in between his fingers and his other hand covering the card holster at his hip to prevent his deck from flying off into oblivion.

 

Before the adrenaline rushing through his veins could knock his brain into survival mode and try to come up with a plan to save himself, glistening silver claws reached out from behind him and latched themselves around his arms. His shoulders practically wrenched themselves out of their sockets from the sudden halt of descent, and once his lungs were able to take in some precious oxygen once more, he glanced up to see two pairs of icy blue eyes glaring down at him. The Blue-Eyes White Dragon hovered against the burning afternoon sun, its master standing tall upon its back with crossed arms and an unnervingly blank expression on his face.

 

“I’ll admit, you’ve managed to surprise me, Yugi,” the wielder of the Millennium Rod said calmly. “Of all of the pathetic dweebs in your group, I would never have taken _you_ for a lowly thief.” 

 

“…Kaiba…” he murmured guiltily.

 

“Did you really think that I wouldn’t notice that my deck was an Egyptian God Card lighter? What kind of a fool do you take me for?” And there was the anger, burning hot and cold at the same time beneath a scowl of barely hidden contempt. Yugi swallowed against the harsh sting of the truth, holding tightly onto Obelisk as he pleaded his case.

 

“I really am sorry, Kaiba, but I like to think that for all of our differences, I know you better than most. Can you honestly tell me that you would have lent Obelisk to me if I’d asked?”

 

“Maybe!” Yugi shot him a knowing scowl, at which Kaiba chuckled and shrugged. “Ok, no, not a chance. But at least have the dignity to duel me for it!”

 

“I’m not keeping it, Kaiba, I just need to borrow it for a little while! The rest of the day, at most!” Yugi shouted desperately. Kaiba seemed to recognize something in his voice, as his posture became more relaxed and skeptical rather than hostile.

 

“What for?”

 

Yugi sighed, deciding that he had nothing left to lose as he dangled helplessly within the Blue-Eyes White Dragon’s grasp above the city skyline.

 

“Kaiba, doesn’t anything about this world seem off to you? Like something strange is going on right under our noses?” he asked.

 

“What on earth are you on about?” Kaiba grumbled, the heat in his voice all but gone in the wake of his genuine confusion.

 

“I think something—or someone—has been tampering with our memories! The ones I have now don’t make any sense! They’re false!” he pleaded. “I think this entire world has been altered somehow, and I need to investigate it! That’s why I need Obelisk!”

 

In the silence that followed, Kaiba stared at him with eyes wider than Yugi had ever seen.

 

“…dear God, you’ve finally snapped.”

 

“Kaiba!”

 

“Yugi, I have always believed in only that which I can see and prove through my own technological advances. Granted, the whole Millennium Items and real monsters thing was a bit of a struggle, but I was able to move past it. What you’re suggesting…” The blue-eyed duelist shook his head, almost as if in disgust. “It’s just utter nonsense! It’s not possible!”

 

“Why?” Yugi demanded angrily. “Why do you think it’s impossible?”

 

“Because the technology that would require goes beyond anything that I have ever seen! Have your memories been altered to forget that I am the leading creator of the greatest technologies available to mankind?” Kaiba turned away to stare out over the towering skyscrapers below them. “Erasing memories or replicating them, that I would give its due consideration. But to alter every single memory stored within your limbic system, to the point where they are subconsciously inseparable from those that were previously established...it would take years for our current science to even come close!”

 

“…and what if science isn’t the culprit?” Yugi asked softly. “You said so yourself…you accepted that the power of the Millennium Items was real. Why can’t magic be the cause of all this, too?”

 

An unwieldy silence followed, in which their dragons hovered restlessly in front of one another while waiting for their summoners to give them orders. A part of Yugi wanted so desperately to believe that Kaiba would find it in his heart of hearts to listen to him, to give his words at least a passing thought before dismissing them completely. But, as he had only stated moments before, he knew his rival better than that.

 

“Sorry, Yugi, but whatever crazy fantasy you’ve concocted for yourself, I’m afraid it doesn’t change the fact that you have something that belongs to me,” Kaiba growled. He turned back to stare down at where the other duelist dangled from his monster’s claws, all sense of comradery gone. “Now then, are you going to give Obelisk back to me willingly, or am I going to have to force you?”

 

Yugi didn’t hesitate. Through the silent connection of his heart and his Millennium Key, he ordered Curse of Dragon to swipe at the exposed soft underbelly of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon. While Curse of Dragon was the weaker of the two beasts, its attack was enough to shock the Blue-Eyes into releasing its prey and allowed Yugi to fall back down onto his own monster’s back.

 

The two duelists hovered in front of one another with baited breath, but it was Yugi who tried one last time to appeal to his opponent’s sense and logic.

 

“I promise, it’s only for a day, Kaiba,” he said gently. “…must we do this?”

 

“I’m afraid we must,” he replied with a cruel smirk.

 

Yugi nodded in reluctant agreement, pushing his left foot forward and urging Curse of Dragon to dive down towards the city. He knew that Kaiba had an unfair advantage with his Duel Disk locked and ready on his arm, while Yugi’s was buried too deeply within the school bag on his back to retrieve with any haste. Still, his Millennium Key gave him just enough power to summon any of his monsters at will, so long as he had enough energy to supply its existence.

 

He vaguely heard Kaiba order his dragon to attack, and with seconds to spare, Yugi summoned Apple Magician Girl from the deck still hanging at his hip. She absorbed the attack in a flash of red light, using the dragon’s energy to summon Lemon Magician Girl with her special ability. The yellow-glad magician giggled, throwing a sweet wink towards her summoner in greeting and flying up to face Kaiba’s dragon head-on.

 

“Lemon Magician Girl, take Kaiba’s Blue-Eyes down a peg!” he shouted, pointing at her target as Curse of Dragon continued to fly towards Domino City. Kaiba’s dragon was too large to dodge her magic spell, its attack points lowering by half while Kaiba shifted his balance on its back to remain upright. “And then I summon Dark Magician Girl!”

 

His loyal monster appeared in a heart-shaped burst of pink light, taking in the situation with wide eyes and quickly casting her own attack in Kaiba’s direction. The Blue-Eyes White Dragon roared in outrage as it shattered into countless fragments of light, sending Kaiba falling through the air with the rooftops of the many downtown buildings steadily approaching. Wearing a surprisingly calm demeanor, he reached into his deck and drew the top card with an audible growl.

 

“Pandemic Dragon, come forth!” A multi-colored dragon burst from the empty streets below, sailing up into the air and curling up its tentacle-like wings to form a crude net for Kaiba to land into. Yugi noted with a jealous pout that even when he was falling and being set down onto a rooftop, Kaiba still managed to pull off each move with a fierce, masculine grace that the smaller duelist would never be able to achieve. “Destroy his pitiful cheerleading squad!”

 

Yugi winced as a fierce blast destroyed his Apple and Lemon Magician Girls, while Dark Magician Girl dodged at the last minute and reached out to grasp Yugi’s hand. He couldn’t help but scream as he was yanked off of Curse of Dragon’s back and pulled through the streamlined labyrinth of metal towers with no warning. It turned out to be for the best, though, when Curse of Dragon flew directly into the Pandemic Dragon’s path and crashed its body into the larger monster’s chest as a brave suicide attack. Kaiba shielded his eyes against the resulting explosion, while Yugi held onto Dark Magician Girl’s hand for dear life.

 

He realized with a start that his other hand was otherwise occupied with Obelisk still clutched tightly between his fingertips.

 

“Dark Magician Girl, get me out of here!” he shouted, only to realize that his words were far too late to be heeded.

 

Kaiba descended from the dark clouds of smoke, his Pandemic Dragon still alive and well, with a bloodthirsty gleam to his eyes that spelled nothing but trouble for Yugi and his monster. Dark Magician Girl seemed to recognize this, too, as she quickly altered her path to the nearest rooftop and flew as quickly as she could towards it. Yugi could only watch in pure horror as Pandemic Dragon reared its head and released a powerful blast right at his magician’s back, sending them both crashing through the loose gravel of the roof with agony ripping through their bodies.

 

Yugi landed roughly on his right shoulder, forcing his eyes open just in time to see Dark Magician Girl sprawled limply on her back and her physical form fading away into nothing.

 

His blood ran cold as a pair of sleek black boots smashed down in between them, and despite the duel being unofficial and untallied, he knew that he couldn’t continue fighting for much longer. His energy was rapidly depleting, a payoff of being able to summon monsters at will rather than by luck of the draw, and Kaiba was not going to let him escape without dealing a staggering amount of damage to his person — in one way or another. Yugi glared defiantly up at his smirking rival, who was staring at the card tucked beneath his hand on the ground.

 

“As fun as it is to pummel you with my dragons, I don’t particularly enjoy fighting like a thug. I’ll leave that to the amateurs.” He fluffed out the billowing train of his white coat and crouched down onto one knee, his arms crossed leisurely over his bent leg as if he weren’t staring down at the wounded, crumpled form of his fellow Guardian. “Now, I’ll ask again. Are you going to return what is mine, or would you like some more pain first?”

 

As if sensing its master’s threat, the Pandemic Dragon released a rumbling growl from above them.

 

Yugi bit his bottom lip as he weighed his options. He and Atem had beaten Kaiba many times before, and in a normal duel he would have stubbornly fought until the very end. However, this wasn’t even a real duel, and he wasn’t entirely sure that the knowledge the Obelisk the Tormentor card could give him was worth risking his health. Despite the low blow that this entire encounter would deal to his pride, Yugi was also aware that fighting the inevitable in an unfair match would be the epitome of foolish.

 

He sighed and retracted his hand, allowing Kaiba to reach down and snatch his Egyptian God Card away without any further resistance.

 

“See, was that really so hard?” the brunette asked smugly. Yugi fought back tears of frustration and humiliation before forcing himself to speak in as even a tone as he could manage in his weakened state.

 

“Kaiba, please, think about it! Try to remember our duel in Battle City!” he said. Kaiba rolled his eyes and made a scoffing sound as he turned to leave.

 

“Do you ever stop whining? Honestly, you’re worse than Mokuba after a long business trip!”

 

His comment was an afterthought, the natural order of things, and yet it turned everything upside down in an instant.

 

Kaiba’s entire body froze as his words sank into Yugi’s ears and nestled there, conjuring images of a face he had only moments ago never even seen. It was almost laughable, how quickly all of Yugi’s memories shifted to accommodate Mokuba’s existence when the reality around them tried to say that he was never there to begin with.

 

Mokuba Kaiba, undeniably the most precious person in Seto Kaiba’s life, and they had both forgotten about him until this very moment.

 

The wielder of the Millennium Key drew in a slow, agonized breath as he pushed his body into a sitting position, every muscle shaking with trepidation as he watched his rival carefully.

 

“…wait…I…what is this?” Kaiba whispered, his normally confident attitude nowhere to be found. His shaking hand reached up to cover his face, as if the sheer thought of his little brother brought him physical pain.   “Mokuba…that’s right, he’s my…”

 

“Kaiba?” Yugi slowly rose to his feet, ignoring the sting of newly forming bruises and the gravel buried in his skin. Before he could approach the taller teen, or even begin to think of something comforting to say, Kaiba threw himself back around and grabbed Yugi’s white shirt in a tight grip. The smaller Guardian found himself lifted off of his feet and suddenly nose-to-nose with an enraged Seto Kaiba, whose bulging eyes sought to burn the very soul out of him.

 

“You! Just what are you playing at?!” he shouted. “I’d forgotten all about my own brother, and I haven’t seen him in—”

 

Kaiba’s eyes grew impossibly wider in horror as his angry shout cut off. Yugi said nothing, for he also realized that he couldn’t remember the last time he had seen Mokuba in person. He remembered their past encounters, and he knew that the bond that the brothers shared was something cherished and strong, but Yugi was certain that not once had the younger Kaiba appeared in this new world that they inhabited. Kaiba’s voice grew high-pitched and unsteady as he dropped Obelisk to the ground and used both hands to shake Yugi hard.

 

“Tell me this instant! Where’s Mokuba?! What have you done with him?!”

 

“I haven’t done anything, Kaiba, I swear!” Yugi cried, reaching up and wrapping his own hands around Kaiba’s wrists. He tried to put every ounce of sympathy and regret into his eyes as he looked up at his panicking friend. “I told you, something is _wrong_ here. I forgot him, too, until you said something just now.”

 

“You’re…you’re lying!” Kaiba said desperately.

 

“I’m sorry, Kaiba. I don’t know where Mokuba is. But I promise you, I am going to do everything I can to figure this whole thing out.” Kaiba looked as though he might throw Yugi off of the edge of the roof at any moment, but beneath all of the anger and suspicion, the smaller Guardian could also recognize an undeniable fear and anguish.

 

The uncomfortable silence that surrounded them was suddenly broken by a sickening sound of sharpened steel slicing through flesh. The Pandemic Dragon released a weak, tortured cry before shattering into a thousand glowing particles, shocking Kaiba and Yugi into glancing more carefully at their surroundings. The fading light of the afternoon sky cast dark, twisted shadows up the sides of the surrounding buildings, a vast playground of hiding places available to a wide array of potential threats.

 

Thankfully, the source of the attack on Pandemic Dragon was quickly revealed to be a threat only to one duelist in particular.

 

“I don’t know what any of this is about,” Joey’s voice echoed, “but I suggest you get your grubby hands off my friend before I make you regret it.”

 

Yugi and Kaiba turned their heads to a nearby rooftop, where Joey loomed tall and proud among the support of Tristan and Aigami. Gilford the Lightning was floating at his Guardian’s side, his mighty sword poised and ready to strike down any who opposed him. Joey’s normally warm brown eyes were narrow and full of rage, a rare reminder that he was far more ruthless and dangerous than he often let on. Yugi shivered under that piercing gaze, even though he knew that Joey would rather die than ever cause him the amount of pain he was threatening to inflict.

 

Kaiba, while visibly not intimidated, seemed to come to the conclusion that it was not worth the trouble to challenge the blonde duelist to any type of fight. He gently lowered Yugi back onto his feet, snatched his fallen God Card from the ground, and walked to the edge of the roof they were standing on. He jumped into the open air without another word, summoning a second Blue-Eyes White Dragon to carry him off into the sunset.

 

It was a testament to just how furious Joey truly was that he had no parting insults to throw.

 


	4. Never Leave You Alone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fic takes place in the realm of the DSOD movie, which seems to be an amalgamation of the manga and anime series. As such, we are going to pretend that the Doma Arc and the Grand Championship did not take place in between Battle City and the Memory World arcs.

 

“I tell ya, Yuge—if I don’t beat Kaiba to a pulp for this, Atem definitely will,” Joey said gently. His long fingers were light as a feather as they traced the flaming red scrapes on Yugi’s palms, picking out any remaining gravel stuck in the wounds. They had moved from the roofs of random business headquarters to a small bench in the park nearest to the Game Shop, and despite clearly wanting answers, none of them had even attempted to pry as to what had possessed Yugi to confront Kaiba in the first place.

 

“I told you guys, it’s really not that bad,” he tried to assure them, but their frowns told him they were not buying any of it.

 

“He looked really angry, Yugi. You don’t think he’ll try something later, do you?” Aigami asked. Yugi chose not to say anything, knowing he couldn’t truly answer that question with any amount of certainty. The re-emergence of his memories of Mokuba was a huge blow to Yugi and his nervous paranoia, sure, but he doubted that his feelings even came close to the mental crisis that Kaiba was going through now.

 

“If he does, we’ll be there to meet him head on!” Tristan cried with a shaking fist. Aigami blinked at the bloodthirsty grin on his classmate’s face while Yugi found himself smiling against his better judgement.

 

“No, you won’t. It was _my_ fault, you guys.” His three friends all looked at him in shock. Instead of elaborating, however, he pushed himself off of the bench and cradled his wounded hands in one another. “I know it’s a lot to ask, but can we just forget about all this? I promise it’s nothing you need to worry about.”

 

“Yugi…”

 

“Besides, it’s getting late. Grandpa and Atem are probably wondering where I am, so I should get going,” he said. He shifted his backpack more comfortably across his shoulders, making sure his deck was well-contained within its holster before turning towards home.  His friends all stood with him, their own bags slung over their shoulders or clasped in confident grips. “Guys? What are you—?”

 

“You really shouldn’t go off on your own, Yugi,” Aigami said. “No offense, but trouble seems to find you rather easily.”

 

“Hey!”

 

“Not for nothing, Yuge, but he does have a bit of a point,” Joey said with a sheepish grin. “If Aigami hadn’t seen your battle with Kaiba going on in the distance, we wouldn’t have been able to show up when we did. And who knows what would’ve happened?”

 

Yugi pouted pettily, though he knew any refusals on his part would simply fall on deaf ears. His friends were as stubborn as they were loyal, and even when that loyalty was turned against him, he knew that he wouldn’t have it any other way. He sighed and nodded his reluctant agreement, ignoring the triumphant sounds from Joey’s direction as they meandered down the street towards Yugi’s house.

 

Amongst all of the confusion and uncertainty, a small glimmer of hope and relief burst in Yugi’s heart when he realized that his friends were the one constant in his life that never seemed to waver. He remembered their support of him in all of the battles they had fought, not to mention the sacrifices they had made to help him face his destiny with Atem. He remembered Joey’s boundless optimism, Tristan’s strength in the face of terror, and Téa’s compassion when all hope seemed lost—and each and every one of them was worth more than any treasure he could have wished for.

 

‘ _A small miracle is still a miracle_ ,’ Yugi thought with a sad smile. ‘ _I’m glad they’re the same, at least. I don’t know what I would have done if the memories of my friends turned out to be fake, too_.’

 

“Yugi? You okay, man?” Tristan asked. Yugi blinked out of his deep thoughts and looked up to see all three of his escorts looking at him worriedly.

 

“Huh? Uh, sorry, I got lost there for a second,” he said.

 

“…I won’t lie, I’m…a little concerned about you, Yuge,” Joey stated with a frown. “You’ve been acting kinda down lately. Is everything alright?”

 

He thought about lying, even though he knew it was wrong. He’d always tried to be honest and open with all of his friends, even if he knew the truth could bring about pain or sorrow, because that was better than having the guilt eat away at his soul until he rotted from within. But just this once, with everything so unclear and his thoughts so hazy, he wondered if putting on a brave face and a reassuring air would be the lesser of two evils.

 

In the end, the fact that it was all simply too much to bear alone forced the truth to fall from his lips.

 

“I’ve been having…these weird thoughts lately,” he started dubiously. Joey and Tristan leaned in closer, though they could hear him perfectly. The streets were empty and quiet, with no witnesses to point and laugh as Yugi confessed his insane observations aloud. “It’s like…well, let’s just say that I’ve felt something off about everything that’s been going on around us.”

 

“Like what?” Aigami spoke up, trailing behind them with silent steps.

 

“Well…For instance! Joey, do you remember the Battle City Tournament?”

 

“Huh? Of course I do,” the blonde duelist said. “We both made it to the semi-finals, I almost beat Marik before his stupid Shadow Game got the best of me, and then you won the whole thing in a landslide!”

 

“And what about after?” he asked, forcing his voice not to show the desperate need for validation that he felt in the very core of his being. “What did we do after it was all over?”

 

“What do you mean? We came home, we basked in the glory of the winner’s circle, and went on with our lives,” Joey said suspiciously.

 

“Okay, that makes sense, but what about the God Cards? What did we do with them?”

 

“Well…” Joey paused, scratching the back of his head as his eyes glazed over in thought. “You kept Slifer, Atem has the Winged Dragon of Ra, and you gave back Obelisk to Kaiba.”

 

“Do you remember when? Specifically, when did we give it to him?” Yugi demanded, stopping in the center of the sidewalk to stare up at his shocked friends with a sharp glare. Tristan and Joey looked at one another in confusion, while Aigami seemed lost in his own world at the back of the pack.

 

“Um, well it was—” Joey said slowly, but appeared to struggle with finishing his own statements once they began. “I think it was…”

 

“…now that you mention it…when did Kaiba get back Obelisk? Wouldn’t it have been right after?” Tristan asked. Joey growled and shook his head, waving off the questions like annoying flies trying to nest in his ears.

 

“What does it matter? We probably weren’t even there. Those cards are your business, not ours.”

 

“…what about the Millennium Items?” Yugi suddenly asked, reaching up to wrap his index finger around the leather cord securing the Key around his neck. “When did you two get them?”

 

Because that was another missing puzzle piece that he couldn’t find. In all of his other memories, the Millennium Items existed and contained a hidden power for those who controlled them. And yet, with the exception of Bakura, none of his friends had ever even touched the ancient artifacts they were apparently the current Guardians of. The weight of the Millennium Key against his chest felt as natural as breathing, so he had many more doubts about this particular batch of missing details—but the doubts were there, nonetheless, and he was determined to leave no stone unturned.

 

Joey and Tristan lifted their matching gauntlets up into view as if in a trance, glancing back and forth between Yugi’s face and the hidden forms of their Items.

 

“We got them the same day you did, Yuge,” Joey said slowly, though his voice was not as confident as Yugi had been expecting.

 

“And when was that?”

 

The sounds of car engines and cooing birds filled the heavy silence between them, though the sources of those sounds were nowhere in sight. Joey and Tristan’s brown eyes were wide with trepidation, and despite their open mouths and defensive body language, no arguments or excuses seemed to be within their grasp. Yugi sighed and wrapped his hands tightly around his arms, the biting chill of the approaching night sinking deep into his skin along with the sickening dread coursing through his veins.

 

“I’m sorry to bring all this up, but…I just don’t know what to do,” he whispered. “I have all these gaps in my memory, and I’m having trouble distinguishing what’s real…I think Kaiba feels it, too, and I was trying to get some answers. That’s why we were fighting.”

 

“Yugi, what are you saying? That none of this is real?” Aigami asked.

 

His voice was gentle and soothing, but it sent another cold shiver up Yugi’s entire spine. The pulsing ache that been a constant presence at the base of his head suddenly flared back to life, just enough to make him grimace against the pain.

 

“I…no, I don’t think that’s it. I think that maybe something powerful is tampering with us, like Marik did in Battle City with his Shadow Games,” he explained. He reached up to rub numb fingers against the front of his forehead, trying and failing to banish his discomfort through wishful thinking and sheer force of will. “Maybe...I don’t know.”

 

A gentle, but strong hand settled on his shoulder, and when he looked up, Joey’s supportive face smiled back at him.

 

“Listen to me, big guy. Don’t worry about it right now,” he said. Yugi felt his headache dwindle to a tender ache beneath the warmth of his friend’s assurances. “I won’t pretend I know what’s going on, but we’ll help you get to the bottom of this. That’s what we’re here for!”

 

“Joey’s right. Whatever’s going on, we’ll figure it out together,” Tristan agreed. “And if someone is messing with us, then we’ll just throw all of our monsters at him until he’s a human pancake! Can’t mess with people’s lives when you can’t get off the ground!”

 

“Um…thanks?” Yugi said hesitantly. Disturbing visuals aside, he genuinely felt relief when some of his worries faded in the light of his friends’ dedication and encouragement. Joey laughed at his perturbed expression, using the hand on Yugi’s shoulder to push him in the direction of the Game Shop and following close behind.

 

The rest of the trip was thankfully uneventful—until Atem caught sight of them from his and Yugi’s bedroom window and practically flew down the stairs and through the front door once they approached their destination.

 

“Yugi! I was worried sick! Where were you?!” the king shouted, grasping Yugi’s shoulders in a fierce grip and his eyes wide as he took in every detail of Yugi’s shaking form. Joey smirked with a peculiar amount of mirth, but Yugi recognized it far too late to stop him.

 

“No worries, Your Majesty. Yugi and Kaiba were just beefin’ over turf.” Atem’s face contorted in a strange mix of horror and incomprehension, causing Tristan to turn away to keep from laughing.

 

“Rephrase, please?”

 

“Yugi got his butt kicked,” the blonde teen explained, reaching down to grab one of Yugi’s hands and present the angry scratches on his palm for the king’s inspection. Yugi growled in Joey’s direction, ripping his hand away in anger.

 

“I did _not_! And there was no beefing over any turf! We don’t even _have_ turf!” Yugi’s anger melted away as he felt Atem gently lift his hand and cradle it in his own, his cheeks reddening at the heat that chased away the bitterness of the evening cold. A different kind of cold returned in spades, however, when he realized that the wielder of the Millennium Puzzle was glaring down at the marks with murder in his eyes.

 

“Kaiba did this to you?” he growled, his already deep voice lowering impossibly further in fury.  

 

“Atem, it’s not—”

 

“As much as I would love to watch you rip Kaiba a new one—and believe me, I am practically salivating at the possibilities—maybe you should get Yugi inside and take care of that?” Joey suggested with raised eyebrows. Yugi continued to glare at his friend, knowing full well what he was doing and why, but was admittedly relieved when Atem took Joey’s words to heart and sighed with a nod.

 

“You’re right. Thank you for walking him home,” he said. Joey and Tristan waved away the king’s thanks with large, goofy smiles, while Aigami politely bowed without saying anything in return. Yugi stared pointedly at the ground as he followed Atem into the dark Game Shop foyer, the store bell echoing against the silence of the house and only serving to worsen his throbbing head. A chorus of clanging pots and sizzling steam echoed from the depths of the kitchen as the two teens made their way up the stairs, Solomon’s cheerful humming a sharp contrast to the bleak tension surrounding the house’s other occupants.

 

Atem said nothing as they made their way into the hall bathroom, grabbing the first-aid kit from beneath the sink as Yugi perched himself on the lip of the bathtub and gingerly removed the jacket of his school uniform. His white shirt was the next to go, his bruised arms and chest finally bared for all to see. Atem’s hard eyes took in the dark injuries carefully, his silent ire only growing as he knelt before his partner and retrieved the bottle of antiseptic from the kit. 

 

“…Atem,” Yugi whispered.

 

“You lied to me,” the King of Games responded, his eyes never straying from his task as he gently dabbed a clean cloth with the antiseptic and lifted Yugi’s left hand up for better access. Yugi bit his tongue against a pained hiss as the cold liquid seeped into his wounds and burned the remaining germs away. He chose not to respond to the accusation, knowing that any refusal would only be a worthless lie and any agreement would grant him no salvation. “…did Kaiba start it?”

 

“…No. I did,” he said honestly. Kaiba may have taken it to a physical level, but Yugi didn’t plan on claiming innocence. He had stolen one of Kaiba’s most precious cards, fully aware that it wasn’t right and knowing of the possible consequences that his actions would bring.

 

“Why?!” Atem demanded, his eyes wide with confusion and disbelief. “You hate violence, Yugi! This isn’t like you!”

 

“I know, but I couldn’t help it. I had to do some research on some things, and Kaiba…well, let’s just say he wasn’t happy about it.”

 

“And why didn’t you tell me what was going on? I could have helped you!”

 

“I didn’t want you to worry,” Yugi tried to say soothingly, but his words seemed to have the opposite effect. Atem laughed without mirth as he reapplied the antiseptic to the cloth in his hand and reached for Yugi’s other wrist.

 

“Oh, no, I wasn’t worried at all. After all, it’s not like I came home and mentioned to Grandpa where you went, only for him to say that he hadn’t mentioned anything about the market to you in days! It’s not like we had no way to contact you, or couldn’t even check with the others to see where you might have gone!” Despite the growing edge to his voice, Yugi couldn’t help but be touched by how gentle Atem’s ministrations remained as he diligently cleaned every cut and scrape with the utmost care.

 

Still, his harsh words and hurt tone broke Yugi’s heart in ways that no one else’s could, and he felt the sting of oncoming tears far more deeply than that of his burning wounds.

 

“…I’m sorry,” he said. Atem sighed deeply, dropping his hands and sitting back on his heels. His eyes stared blankly at the Millennium Key still hanging around Yugi’s neck, his own violet eyes quivering with emotion.

 

“I’m glad you’re alright, and…I _know_ , Yugi. I know you can take care of yourself. Don’t ever think that I doubt that about you!” Atem discarded the soiled cloth and wrapped his fingertips loosely around Yugi’s naked forearms, tracing the hazy edges of the newly-forming bruises. “I just…I thought you knew that you could always come to me with your problems. Even if I wouldn’t be much help, even if there was nothing I could do…I thought you would at least confide in me.”

 

Cold, bitter tears slipped down Yugi’s dirt-smeared cheeks, heedlessly dripping off his chin as he bit back a sob. Everything was so jumbled and chaotic within his head, playing with his hopes and dreams until he didn’t know which way was up or down—and worst of all, it felt as though his heart couldn’t decide if Atem was telling the truth or not. All of his memories painted a beautiful picture of unity—of countless battles big and small, fought side by side with a bond unlike any other.  

 

So why was he suddenly so afraid that Atem was going to abandon him?

 

_Why did seeing him always hurt so much?!_

 

“Yugi?” The smaller duelist felt gentle strokes brush away his tears, and through his blurring vision, he saw Atem looking up at him with a torn and frightened expression the likes of which he had never seen. The young king gathered Yugi into his arms and brought him down onto the bathroom floor, holding him close to his chest as the dam finally broke. Ugly, frustrated sobs came cascading out as Yugi buried his face into Atem’s shoulder, and broken snippets of his deepest fears tumbled from his lips.

 

“I’m sorry! But I didn’t know what else to do! I’ve been having all these horrible dreams, where everything is different and nothing makes sense!” he wept. “I’m scared! The more I remember, the worse it gets, but I didn’t want you to know! I thought if I told you, you might think I’m going crazy and leave me forever! And I couldn’t bear that!”

 

“…Yugi…Yugi, look at me,” Atem whispered. He forced himself to swallow back the fear and glance up into his king’s gentle face, his tears continuing to fall as Atem nudged their foreheads together with a smile. “Do you really think that I care for you so little that a few bad dreams would frighten me away?”

 

Yugi sniffed, secretly recognizing that Atem was ignorant of the fact that it was far more serious than that. Still, the adoration and tenderness in his eyes was so powerful that just for a moment, Yugi allowed himself to believe that it was true—that everything that was happening around him was real, and nothing mattered except the fact that they were together.

 

“Fate has brought the two of us together…and after all we’ve been through, I am so _proud_ of the wonderful man you have become. No amount of nightmares will change that, I promise!” Atem said with a smile. “If I had my way...if I were ever able to make the choice, I would choose to stay by your side every single time.”

 

“And what if they’re not just nightmares? What if you _don’t_ have a choice?!” Yugi begged desperately, his head pounding in agony and his heart cracking at the edges for reasons he couldn’t comprehend.

 

Atem raised a hand from against Yugi’s back and gently buried it into his wild tresses. Before Yugi could realize what was happening, the king gently, effortlessly, guided their mouths together and swallowed the surprised whimper that his partner had been trying to emit. Yugi’s eyes widened, his face growing warm and red at the gentle pressure against his lips and the firm embrace keeping him from running away.

 

Not that he wanted to escape from this—his deepest and most secret of desires fulfilled at long last.

 

It was the first kiss either of them ever had, with the exception of the rare peck on the forehead or playful grace of their lips over the other’s knuckles, and Yugi doubted that it was at all graceful or perfect. He couldn’t care less, sinking deeper into Atem’s warmth and surrendering to his guidance as their lips parted and their breaths mingled. His eyes slipped closed, a few stray tears fell unheeded, and his arms reached up to wrap around the King of Game’s strong shoulders and pull their bodies impossibly closer.

 

He wished that they could have stayed like that forever, trapped in an endless moment of bliss, but they hadn’t yet learned how to properly kiss and breathe at the same time. Instead, they fumbled and broke apart with a soft gasp, staring into each other’s eyes with every intention of seeing the other’s soul.

 

“Then let’s focus on this moment. Whatever the future may have in store for us, let’s enjoy the bond we share now, while we still can,” Atem murmured. “Let me stay with you, Yugi. Let me love you the way I’ve always yearned to.”

 

‘ _…am I allowed to?_ ’ Yugi had to wonder.

 

It was the same doubt that had plagued him since he first recognized just how deeply his feelings for Atem ran, pulling him further and further away from the king’s open arms. Yugi wasn’t a selfish person by nature, always putting the needs and wants of his friends above all else purely because he was happy to do so, and Atem was most definitely near the top of the list. Even though he was afraid of losing his partner to whatever destiny had in store for them, he also refused to force Atem into any situation that would make him choose between his duties to the world and his devotion to Yugi’s happiness.

 

But now Atem was offering himself willingly and freely, laying all of his cards out on the table for Yugi to see. He was asking, practically begging, for the smaller duelist to give in to the desires of his heart and leave the thoughts of impending doom and destiny in the dust.

 

Would it really be so bad to be selfish, just this once?

 

“I love you,” Yugi whispered, “more than you will ever know.”

 

Atem’s expression softened even more, and he leaned in for another kiss as though he couldn’t control himself. His mouth clashed with Yugi’s halfway and then shifted—struggling to find the right angle to make their bellies ache and their nerves sing. The Puzzle and the Key clinked together and gouged into their stomachs as they tried to force their bodies into a single entity once more, but they barely noticed the pain as they sank deeper and deeper into the warm embrace of a star-struck love.

 

Yugi had hoped it would never end, but fate never seemed to allow him peace for long.

 

“Boys? Are you in there?” Solomon’s voice suddenly called, slightly muffled by the barrier of the bathroom door. The two teens fell apart with a matching gasp, panting more than was probably warranted by their activities and clutching one another as if Yugi’s grandfather would rip them apart at any second. 

 

“Uh, yeah, Grandpa! We’re almost done!” Yugi called out, while Atem blinked out of his kiss-induced daze with an astonishing amount of difficulty.

 

“Oh, good, I was getting worried,” they heard Solomon mutter. “Well, dinner is all ready, so come down soon if you can!”  
  
“Thanks, Grandpa!” They waited anxiously as the old man’s footsteps faded away, and it was only once they were left in complete silence that they both broke out into the goofiest grins either of them had ever worn. “I, uh, guess that’s our cue to get up.”

 

“Hmm, I suppose,” Atem agreed with a chuckle. “I suggest, however, that we revisit this conversation with renewed vigor once we’re done eating.”

 

Yugi tried to force down his blush, but could easily feel how miserably he failed. Despite his nervousness, he couldn’t help but notice how lighter and more hopeful he felt compared to his battle against Kaiba, and even his headache seemed a minor nuisance rather than a crippling impediment. It was as if Atem’s affections were filled with magic, chasing away the darkness and filling Yugi’s heart with unwavering vitality.

 

As quickly as their wobbly legs would allow, the two teens packed the first-aid kit away and headed down to join Yugi’s grandpa at the dinner table, their fingers intertwined and their lips still red with warmth.

 


	5. Flame of Despair

Darkness.

 

Rain.

 

Fear.

 

It was nothing less than he’d expected, this relentless vision that haunted his slumber. It was just as he remembered it, just as terrifying and just as painful, as he tried to outrun a foe he couldn’t see or touch. He tried to force his dream self to look around for any potential clues as to where he was or what he was running from, but his eyes remained stubbornly on the hazy path of city lights before him as he splashed through puddles and weaved through the occasional faceless pedestrian.

 

‘ ** _You can’t run forever, Yugi,_** ’ a disembodied voice suddenly hissed.

 

Maybe not, but it was all he could do for now. He had no other means of escape, no idea where to go, and his pleas continued to fall onto deaf ears.

 

‘ ** _Help me!_** **_Please, help me!_** ’  

 

‘ ** _The Pharaoh can’t save you anymore, Yugi. Nobody can!_** ’

 

* * *

 

Yugi awoke with a start, his body quaking uncontrollably before a comforting warmth pressed against his back and soothed him down to some semblance of calm. Atem’s soft breath tickled the hairs at the back of Yugi’s neck and spread beneath the collar of his pajamas, his arm firmly wrapped around Yugi’s waist as the king continued to sleep pressed against the wall. Yugi had practically had an aneurysm the night before as Atem burrowed himself under Yugi’s covers and settled himself behind the smaller duelist without hesitation, but the sweet perfection of being so close after so long was far too good to object to.

 

Yugi had hoped that Atem’s presence would chase away the nightmares for a change, but it seemed he wasn’t so lucky after all.

 

His right hand traveled down to cover the one Atem had subconsciously bunched into Yugi’s pajama shirt, running his fingertips over the smooth skin and soaking up the heat of life thrumming beneath. The darkness of the nightmare still lingered behind Yugi’s eyes, his memories of another life spreading across his consciousness like a plague of mockery and despair. It was almost too much to accept, how improbable it was that anything around him was the way things were meant to be and yet how undisputedly _alive_ Atem felt beneath Yugi’s touch. How could Atem possibly be here with him, loving him and embracing him, if they had never been separated in the first place?

 

It didn’t make sense, and the more he tried to discover the truth of truths, the more pain and suffering he seemed to cause his own heart.

 

“You’re worrying, little one,” Atem’s groggy voice murmured into his ear. Yugi hummed and turned his face into his pillow, unsure of what to say and choosing instead to deflect.

 

“I’m not little. I’m almost as tall as Téa now.”

 

“Sorry. Habit from the old days.” That tiny bit of conversation seemed to be the most Atem could manage so early in the morning before his coffee fix was sated, as he almost immediately fell back into a deep sleep that Yugi envied. He chuckled and gently maneuvered himself out of bed as best he could without moving Atem too much, though thankfully he wouldn’t stir again for a while.

 

The sun was just beginning to peek put over the horizon of Domino City as Yugi stretched out his arms and glanced down into the empty streets below. Where he expected only shadows and maybe the occasional stray cat, however, he was shocked to find an uncomfortably stoic Seto Kaiba standing by a nearby tree and staring off into space. Swallowing his nervousness as best he could, Yugi threw on a random black shirt and khaki pants as quickly and quietly as possible before sprinting down the stairs and into the Game Shop. The house was dark and quiet as he unlocked the door and inched it open just enough to look outside and keep the store bell from ringing.

 

“Kaiba!” he called softly, startling the taller teen out of his thoughts. Yugi had been expecting some amount of rage or disdain in Kaiba’s expression, especially in light of how they’d last parted ways, but instead he saw only a tormented soul seeking the peace he had lost.

 

“Yugi…” he muttered, stepping up to the doorway but hesitating at the threshold. Yugi took pity on him and slipped outside.

 

“Kaiba, are you alright?” he asked. The soft question seemed only to trouble the young billionaire more than before, his brows furrowing in silent pain and his frown deepening into a scowl. Before Yugi could try to comfort him, however, the emotions were forced back behind a fragile mask of professional composure that both of them knew was a poor effort at best.

 

Kaiba reached into the front of his coat and removed a single trading card, holding it out for Yugi to see.

 

Obelisk the Tormentor.

 

“Here. Take it.” Yugi was sure that Kaiba meant for the words to sound demanding and firm, but he only sounded far too tired for his young age.

 

“Kaiba?” he asked, both astonished and afraid of what this surrender truly meant.

 

“…I can’t find Mokuba anywhere. In fact, there’s no evidence I can see that he ever existed in this world at all,” Kaiba growled, glaring at the Egyptian God Card as if it were personally responsible for his altered reality. “But I _know_ that he’s real. I can feel it.”

 

“I remember him, too, Kaiba,” Yugi assured him. He glanced at Obelisk and slowly reached up to accept the other Guardian’s offering. “I’m hoping that the God Cards will have the answers we’re looking for. If I find anything, I promise you’ll be the first to know.”

 

“See that you do.” Kaiba relinquished the card with less trouble that Yugi was expecting and turned to walk back down the street from once he came. Before he got very far, however, he stopped and stared unmoving at the ground. Yugi chose to wait, knowing Seto Kaiba was not one to be rushed or bullied for answers. “You’re on to something, aren’t you?”

 

“…I don’t know for sure. I don’t know what created this false world we’re in, or why,” he said. “But I have the feeling that once I remember everything, all the answers we seek will be revealed.”

 

“…I’ll wish you luck, then. You sound like you’ll need it,” Kaiba said. He didn’t look back as he departed, his long coat billowing in the gentle morning breeze as Yugi rubbed his thumb over Obelisk’s intimidating scowl.

 

He snuck back into the house slowly, both to avoid making noise and because his body grew number with every move he made. He dragged his feet up the stairs and into his bedroom, where Atem still lay curled up beneath Yugi’s covers and breathing steadily. Yugi folded himself onto the floor beside his bed and crossed his arms just out of reach of Atem’s hand, staring at the king’s unguarded, sleeping face in an attempt to memorize every minute detail.

 

As desperate as he was to learn the truth, he couldn’t help but wonder what would happen to this world when he finally found it.

 

A tiny, childish voice at the back of his mind asked if it was even worth all of the trouble he was causing for himself. After all, this world was everything that he could ever wish for. His friends were all well and happy, their duels were all for fun or for protecting the innocent from minor threats, and the one person he cared for more than anything else had just given him his heart on a silver platter. Yugi should have been drowning in peace and joy, living out the rest of his days without worry or fear.

 

‘ _But what if it…what if it isn’t real?_ ’ he retorted painfully. ‘ _What’s the point of a life, even a perfect one, if it’s all just a lie you create to escape from your problems?_ ’

 

No. That’s not what he wanted for himself, even if the alternative was more painful. For all his weakness, he refused to ignore his own self-worth—and he knew that he was stronger than the desire to run away and hide from the truth.

 

He had to believe that his friends and true love would want the same.

 

He reached out to nudge Atem’s shoulder, just enough to wake him from his peaceful stupor. He found he didn’t need to force himself to smile as Atem’s eyes inched open, blinking childishly at him before sparking with the barest signs of awareness. Yugi’s hand traveled up to brush across the king’s cheek as he leaned forward and gave him a gentle peck on the lips.

 

“I’m sorry, but I was wondering if I could borrow one of your monsters for a little bit?” Yugi whispered. Atem groaned his agreement, conjuring just enough energy to point at the desk where his Millennium Puzzle and deck lay from the night before. “Thanks.”

 

Yugi picked up the cards with a sigh, spreading them all out in his hand until the golden beak and crimson eyes of the Winged Dragon of Ra caught his attention. It quickly joined Obelisk in his free hand, and it took him only seconds to find Slifer the Sky Dragon within the depths of his own deck. He glanced at each Egyptian God Card in turn, cradling them side by side as he took in their glossy images with furrowed brows.

 

Just as he was beginning to wonder what to do next, the constant dull pain behind his eyes burst and sent him staggering forward with a gasp. He grappled for the back of the desk chair as the images from his nightmare came flooding back again, but this time the city was far more vivid and colorful than he remembered before. Tall buildings surrounded a complicated lattice of crosswalks with a round marble fountain directly in the center, glowing signs and billboards that he had seen countless times hanging high in the background.

 

Domino City Plaza.

 

“Yugi? What’s wrong?” Yugi glanced over his shoulder at where Atem was now sitting upright, all signs of sleep completely banished under the weight of distress. He forced himself wipe the sweat from his forehead and staggered over to join the king on his bed.

 

“I’m fine. I just got a bit dizzy, that’s all.” He hid the Egyptian God Cards against his thigh as he laid his head against Atem’s shoulder, sighing with relief when he was wrapped in a gentle embrace.

 

“Are you still not sleeping well?” Atem asked. Yugi was honest with him, shaking his head and leaning even further against Atem’s chest.

 

“No, but I’ll be okay. I probably just need to eat something.”

 

“Come back to bed,” Atem begged softly. “You need your rest, Yugi. I don’t want you getting sick.”

 

Oh, how he wanted to. His heart practically jumped into his throat to agree, but his logic made him hesitate and think about what his vision must have meant. The Egyptian Gods had shown him that Plaza for a reason, and he doubted that they wanted him to wait to investigate it.

 

And besides, if he didn’t go now, he worried that he wouldn’t have the strength to leave Atem’s side ever again.

 

“I wish I could, but I have to go. There’s something important I have to do by myself,” he said. He wrapped his free hand around Atem’s waist and tilted his face up with a shy smile. “Kiss me? Please?”

 

Despite the clear bewilderment and uneasiness in Atem’s violet eyes, he didn’t hesitate to press their lips together and hold the smaller duelist close. Yugi tried to put all of his love and adoration into the kiss without pressing back too hard. He didn’t want to feel as though this was goodbye, but for some reason he knew that if he didn’t savor this moment he would regret it for the rest of his life.

 

It ended far too soon, but Yugi refused to waste his time basking in his own happiness as the world itself was twisted into something they would soon no longer recognize.

 

“You go back to sleep. I’ll see you later, okay?” he promised softly, brushing Atem’s wild tresses out of his face with a reassuring smile. He didn’t seem at all comforted by Yugi’s words, but nodded his silent agreement as Yugi stored the Egyptian God Cards into his card holster, placed the Millennium Key around his neck, and made his way to the door.

 

“Yugi?” Atem called. Yugi paused but dared not turn around, lest the look in his lover’s eyes shatter his courage. “Be careful.”

 

“I will,” he promised as confidently as he could manage.

 

Without another word, he forced his body out of the house and into the open streets. The sun was beginning its main ascent, chasing away the safety of the night and bringing forth the twisted shadows of the day. He ran swiftly in the direction of the Domino City Plaza, noting with growing alarm that even for the early hour, there was a distinct lack of people and moving cars no matter where he looked. His footsteps echoed through the empty city air as the skyscrapers glistened in the sunlight, and with every passing empty building and abandoned street he felt his blood grow colder and colder.

 

_Where was everyone?_

 

He followed a route long-memorized to the center of the Plaza, where a shallow fountain resided and a sparse forest of lampposts lined the paths. As with the rest of the city, the wide space was completely deserted. Not even a single pigeon or butterfly appeared as Yugi slowed to a stop beside the fountain, his breath coming out in short, labored pants. For a while he stood looking around in confusion, taking in his surroundings as though that would give him all of the answers he sought. After almost a full minute of silence, he reached down into his deck holster and pulled out the three Egyptian God Cards.

 

“Okay…you wouldn’t mind giving me another vision or something, would you?” he asked them quietly.

 

The ache in his temples continued its onslaught, but no other images of his dreams were forthcoming.

 

He took the cards with him as he sat down onto the lip of the fountain and stared into each of the Gods’ painted faces, taking a deep breath before closing his eyes and surrendering to the pain of his curiosity. He replayed the memories that had been assaulting his mind over and over again, letting them flow through him as his perfect life fell apart at the seams. He remembered solving the Millennium Puzzle all those years ago, releasing the powerful spirit within and fighting by his side against Seto Kaiba and Maximillion Pegasus.

 

‘ _That’s right. He was the owner of the Millennium Eye, not Tristan!_ ’

 

Following close behind this revelation came the memories of Marik and Ishizu Ishtar and their possession of the Millennium Rod and Necklace, as well as Marik’s evil plot to take Atem’s power for himself during the Battle City Tournament. 

 

‘ ** _The Pharaoh can’t save you anymore, Yugi._** ’

 

The Pharaoh…

 

Of course! How could he have forgotten something so important?!

 

Atem wasn’t just the King of Games like in this world—he was an ancient pharaoh reborn to stop the darkness from destroying the world. That was what they were fighting for, all that time, and why they had to collect the Egyptian God Cards before Marik could. In the end they had succeeded, and both the Cards and the Items had come into their possession.

 

‘ _I was right about that, then. Kaiba shouldn’t have had Obelisk, and none of my friends should have the Millennium Items. Atem and I got them right after Battle City!_ ’ he thought.

 

But then, what had happened after?

 

‘ _…I remember…going to Cairo so that we could present the God Cards to the stone tablet Ishizu showed us. My friends came, too, so that they could support us. And then…we…_ ’

 

A soft, almost burning glow of light burst from the Egyptian God Cards in Yugi’s hands, shocking him into opening his eyes and watching their brilliance with baited breath. Blurred images and faces passed through his brain too fast to fully comprehend, until finally the light faded away and left the God Cards exactly as they were before. Yugi blinked the spots across his vision away as he looked the cards over carefully, trying to find any evidence of an alteration within their design that could’ve explained the sudden light source.

 

The cards showed no outward signs of power or transformation, but just as he was about to voice his confusion aloud, a soft thud of solid metal echoed from the street across from where he sat.

 

His eyes traveled upwards to see a simple golden box lying in the middle of the empty city street, its sharp edges sparkling in the light of the sun. At first, he hesitated to approach it simply from survival instinct—golden boxes didn’t usually appear out of thin air, after all. As the box continued to lay unmoving and yet practically glowing with hidden life, however, he swallowed back any remaining hesitation and slowly made his way across the Plaza.

 

Each step felt crooked and sluggish, as if his body were fighting to press forward and back away at the same exact time. He couldn’t even feel the trading cards in his hands anymore, nor the heat of the still-rising sun, and he barely noticed the growing stench of death that lingered in the air and pressed him down on all sides. He stumbled in front of the innocent golden object lying on the ground, falling to his knees as he took in the removable lid, the all-seeing Eye of Anubis, the delicate inscriptions of Ancient Egyptian text scrolling up and down the sides…

 

He knew this box.

 

He knew it very well, and he knew exactly why it had appeared before him.

 

 _A gold sarcophagus_ …

 

…………

 

 _Gold Sarcophagus_ — _Monster Reborn_ — _Slifer Destroyed_ — _Silent Macigian LV0_ — _Victory_ — _NonononONONONONONONO_ — _ATEM_ — _DON’T LEAVE ME!!!_ —

_Atem…_

 

_…………_

Atem was gone. Forever.

 

He had been all this time.

 

Yugi felt his heart shatter into a million puzzle pieces, the gentle trickle of the fountain at his back exploding into a massive pillar of water that shot straight up into the sky and summoned a thick blanket of dark clouds to cover the entire city. Rolling claps of thunder louder than even Slifer’s mighty roar shook the earth beneath Yugi’s fingers, the buildings beyond the Domino City Plaza cracking and crumbling in bursts of smoke and flying glass. The pillar of water finally disappeared completely into the sky, only to return a moment later as a torrential downpour that barely hid the tears running down Yugi’s face.

 

“So it’s true…this was all just an illusion,” he whimpered. “ _It’s not real!_ ”

 

Building after building fell into ruin around him as he reached up and yanked the leather cord of the Millennium Key from his neck, throwing it as hard as he could onto the ground in anger and watching it dissipate into a thousand tiny particles of golden light. He crumpled into a trembling heap before his treasured Puzzle Box, clutching at his head as the pain he had been forced to endure faded away with the rest of his denial. The Egyptian Gods were cruel in their disregard for his anguish, lying in a silent discarded pile now that their purpose had been served.

 

“I don’t understand! What is this? Where am I?” he cried into the concrete between his knees. “What did I do to deserve this?!”

 

Who would be so cold-blooded as to dangle his heart’s deepest desire right in front of him, knowing it was only a matter of time before it all fell apart? Who had dared to give him hope when he had just begun to heal, to accept that Atem was never going to come back and to move on with his life? What dark magic had trapped him in this fake Domino City, his memories rewritten to be a twisted sitcom and he its mindless puppet on strings?

 

The rain born from his despair seeped into his clothes and sank into his skin, but the numbing cold of his body was nothing compared to the misery that left his soul frozen and hollow.

 

“I assure you that it wasn’t personal, Vessel of the Pharaoh.”

 

Yugi pulled himself up onto his knees once more, staring up at the dark figure that had suddenly appeared before him. The rain seemed to skirt around his billowing green trench coat and long dark hair, his eyes glowing a shocking gold against the dark grey remains of Domino City. A small golden pendant in the shape of the Millennium Puzzle dangled from his neck, and in his hand sat a thrumming silver cube embellished with the golden Eye of Anubis.

 

Yugi sucked in a confused breath.

 

“Aigami?’

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And this is the moment when I reveal to those chosen few who hadn't made the connection that this fic is based on/inspired by Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Rebellion. :)


	6. This is My Despair

 

“I’m hurt, Yugi. Have you forgotten me already?” Aigami asked, holding the mysterious cube aloft as if it were an extension of himself. The small, shy smile that Yugi was so used to seeing was nowhere to be found, replaced by a cold smirk dripping with a shocking amount of cruelty. “Come now, doesn’t this all seem a bit familiar?”

 

Of course, as soon as he’d mentioned it, Yugi felt the soft twinge of Deja Vu in the back of his mind. The Domino City Plaza darkened, the rain grew lighter, and the neon billboards illuminated their bodies and cast tall shadows onto the city street. His recurring nightmare expanded across his memories and took a corporeal form around them, illuminating details he had been too blind to see and exposing the secrets he had been too lost to find for himself.

 

Yes.

 

Joey had been captured with Aigami’s strange magic, but fought his way back into their dimension through sheer force of will and the strength of their friendship. Aigami had retreated, taking the cube and his mystical associates with him. They had all split up, running through the rain-soaked streets of downtown Domino City in search of Bakura.

 

That had been Yugi’s first mistake.

 

His frantic pace had faltered to a stop. His breath escaped in harsh pants as his eyes searched his surroundings for any sign that Bakura was hidden in plain sight. The rain continued to roar as the darkness suddenly spread, swallowing what little precious light was left of the world and everything that came with it. He had tried to run, but the darkness had followed, and Aigami’s triumphant jeers and laughter had echoed in his ears as everything fell away.

 

No…not Aigami…

 

“ _Diva_ ,” Yugi growled, pushing himself to his feet as his righteous anger was refueled once more.

 

“I knew you’d remember eventually!” his opponent said, his smile widening as if Yugi had accomplished an impossible task. “Though, I really shouldn’t be surprised. After all, you’ve managed to last this long.”

 

“Where are we?” Yugi demanded.

 

“Well, that’s just it. At first, it was simply supposed to be another dimension created from your own memories—a dimension that would quickly disintegrate as the memories started to fade.” Diva paused and looked at the rolling clouds above them, his expression turning thoughtful and oddly disappointed. “But I underestimated you. Honestly, I should have known better.”

 

“What are you saying?” It made a certain amount of sense, considering everything in this false world was practically identical to the life he had lived before Diva trapped him here. But there were also a lot of differences, ones that didn’t fit into his memories at all and therefore shouldn’t have been able to exist.

 

“…only the strongest mind, and a strong body, would be able to house the soul of the Nameless Pharaoh. A mind that could make miracles, and the impossible possible,” Diva said softly. He turned his gaze back to Yugi, his eyes glimmering with admiration and hate in equal measure. “Your mind managed to outsmart my power. Your memories rewrote themselves to create an entire new world as a defense mechanism. Where others would have fallen almost instantly, you managed to continue to fuel your own existence through sheer imagination and will. You even managed to create an exact replica of the Pharaoh in order to keep his existence within the realm of your perceived reality.”

 

“Then…everything we’re seeing…every _one_ …” Yugi gasped in resignation, staring down at the box at his feet and the puddles that surrounded it.

 

“Was created by you, yes—complete replicas of an entire city and all of the people that make up your life. And as long as you remained hidden in the world you’d created, the power of the Plana couldn’t reach you.” The triumphant smirk returned, sending even more cold shivers down Yugi’s spine. “Of course, that’s all over now. You just couldn’t help but figure out the truth, and now your fragile defenses are crumbling away. It won’t be long before the Plana completely devours what little of your memories are left.”

 

“…why?” he had to ask, his frustration bleeding into his weary voice. “Why are you doing this?”

 

Diva scoffed and turned the strange cube around in his hand.

 

“My master blessed us with a magnificent power—to create a world without evil or fear, and leave the corrupt world you’ve always known behind. But every power comes with a catch,” Diva explained. “Should the Pharaoh ever return to this world, the power of the Plana will disappear forever. And I will _not_ let that happen!”

 

“But the Pharaoh is gone!” Yugi cried, the shattered pieces of his heart quaking with agony as he forced himself to speak the truth.

 

“Maybe so…but one can never be too careful.” Diva glanced up at Yugi’s wet eyes, his own completely devoid of any sympathy or compassion. “I tried to steal a few pieces of the Millennium Puzzle, but that Mokuba brat has faster reflexes than I anticipated. Kaiba now has the Puzzle under lock and key, and I have no doubt that he will be able to reassemble it. But even if he does, the Pharaoh cannot return if he doesn’t have a vessel to inhabit. If I get rid of you, then our power is guaranteed to be absolute.”

 

Yugi backed away, but even as every survival instinct screamed to run and find a way to escape, he knew that there was no point. Diva had cornered him into another dimension with no weapons at his disposal, no Millennium Puzzle to wield, and certainly no ancient spirit to guide him. He could see the very fabric of the world around them disintegrating into the air, the dark clouds bleeding into a vivid crimson as pieces of rubble floated into a swirling vortex far above their heads.

 

“It really is a shame. In another life, maybe you would have been able to join us in the new world,” Diva said softly. “But I’m afraid this is the only way to ensure that my plans will succeed. I will create a paradise the likes of which the mortal realm has never seen, and you will fade away to nothing. The sooner you accept your fate, Yugi Muto, the sooner the pain will cease.”

 

It certainly sounded tempting, even Yugi couldn’t deny that.

 

In all of the battles he had fought, in all of the hopeless situations they had been trapped in before, there had always been something to place his faith in. The Heart of the Cards, his friends…Atem. Even in the darkest of times, he could always bring himself back from the brink of despair by thinking of their faces and keeping their spirits alive within his heart.

 

But there was no way for his friends to reach him here, and Atem was never going to return. The ground on which he stood may have been created from his own mind, but Diva wielded the power to make it so. Yugi was only human, and perhaps it was time for him to face his own mortality.

 

He fell to his knees with his arms wrapped tightly around his chest, the bitter sound of Diva’s soft laughter settling in the pit of his stomach like poison.

 

‘ _I’m sorry, everyone…I was so stupid. I’m so sorry,_ ’ he cried silently.

 

But as the smiling images of each of his friends’ faces flashed through his mind, a sudden thought struck him.

 

“…Diva, I have a question I’d like answered…before…” he ground out softly. Diva made a tiny sound of contemplation before chuckling again.

 

“I suppose I could give you that much. What would you like to know?”

 

“This new world of yours. Once you’ve finished creating it, what will happen to the old one?” he whispered. Diva paused, and then turned away with a smile.

 

“The Children of the Plana will lead the chosen few to paradise, as is our duty. And when that task is completed, the old world and all of the worthless beings in it will crumble into ruin,” he said.

 

Yugi’s shattered heart convulsed in fury. Without his conscious direction, the world around them suddenly pulsed with renewed energy and the falling rain froze in mid-air. Diva looked around in shock, but Yugi refused to let him get too far beyond that. Calling forth all of the righteous anger and pain stored within his body, he slammed his hand down onto the ground and summoned forth the magic that had been at his command since his awakening in this other dimension.

 

A golden ring of light appeared beneath Diva’s feet, illuminating his wide eyes and horrified expression. The Spellbinding Circle latched onto him in an unyielding grip, forcing his arms down to his sides and keeping him standing upright in the middle of the street. The strange cube in his hand tumbled to the ground and rolled over to where Yugi crouched, and he gingerly picked it up before standing to face Diva directly.

 

“What is this?!” Diva shouted, wriggling roughly against his bonds and staring at Yugi as if he had never seen him before. “How can this world still twist to suit your desires? It’s falling apart!”

 

“This is the source of your power, isn’t it?” Yugi asked instead of answering, turning the cube over and over in his shaking hands. The Eye of Anubis stared up at him coldly, but in his rage, he found the courage to stare right back. “The way you send people to other dimensions?”

 

“You wouldn’t dare! Your attempts to escape would be futile! You don’t even know how to use it!” Diva growled, though Yugi noticed he couldn’t quite hide the flash of panic in his eyes.

 

“But your friends could, couldn’t they?” the shorter duelist wondered aloud, remembering all of the dark forms and glowing eyes of the Children of the Plana that had surrounded them in the Domino City Plaza. “I have the feeling that even if I stop you somehow, they’ll just hunt me down and steal this back in no time at all.”

 

“Yes, they would! Even if you get rid of me, they _will_ find you and avenge me! The Plana is more powerful than you could ever imagine, and—”

 

“So in other words, I need to destroy it here.”

 

Diva flinched back in mystified silence, the soft thrumming of the magic circle keeping him prisoner the only other sound in the world that crumbled around them. Yugi swallowed back the fear that dug into his very core, fresh tears of anguish and grief blurring his vision as he stared at the silver cube in his hands. He wanted so deeply to use its power to save himself, to return to his real friends and Grandpa waiting for him beyond the fake dimension of his memories—but at what cost? They had already suffered enough throughout the years because of him, and now they had been the target of a new threat even without the Millennium Items being a factor. He saw now that evil and danger would follow him until the ends of the earth, and everyone he loved would never be safe so long as he was with them.

 

He was already going to die no matter what…he might as prevent further suffering while he was at it.

 

“You wouldn’t…” Diva gasped in disbelief. “You wouldn’t risk your only salvation just to destroy the Quantum Cube! That’s madness!”

 

Yugi couldn’t help it. He laughed, loud and borderline unhinged, as the waves of decay moved closer and closer to where they were standing. He looked at Diva, really looked at him, and let his tears fall undeterred.

 

“You really don’t know me at all, do you?” he asked sadly. “If you did, you’d know that I would do anything for a friend…even if it means giving up my own life to keep them safe.”

 

Diva’s eyes widened even more, and he renewed his struggling almost mindlessly as Yugi glared through his pain.

 

“I still believe in our world. No, it’s not perfect, and there’s plenty of horrible things in it...believe me, I know that better than most. But there are so many more good things worth protecting, too! So I won’t let you or any of the others destroy it!” he declared, his inner fire deepening his voice with a malice normally foreign to him. “If that means I have to disappear, then I will gladly let this dimension consume me, and this cube of yours…and _you_ , too!” 

 

Yugi watched as Diva’s struggling became erratic and full of desperation, pulling at the magic of the Spellbinding Circle and barely making it budge. His screams of denial echoed across the crimson sky as Yugi turned to walk back to his Puzzle Box and God Cards, the frozen raindrops slowly sailing up into the vortex beyond the clouds. He cradled the Quantum Cube in both hands as he lowered himself to the ground beside his most prized possessions and tried to block out the screams—both his enemy’s, and that of his own internal moral compass.

 

He hated violence, he always had, but if there was one thing the Shadow Games had taught him throughout the years, it was that sometimes you had to turn your opponent’s own tactics against them in order to survive.

 

Besides, it wouldn’t be long now.

 

He just had to stay strong until then, to ignore the pained cries and fading light behind his back…

 

…and then it would all be over…

 

“Yugi.”

 

The voice was just as he remembered it, just as soft and deep and full of concern for his well-being. And when he forced his eyes open, the man before him was just as handsome and full of confidence as he’d always been. The false Atem he had created wore the same altered school uniform, the same buckled collar, and the same Millennium Puzzle on a chain as unbreakable as their bond. It was an admirable recreation, as perfect as Yugi could possibly imagine, and he didn’t know whether to swoon or to scream.

 

“…I’m surprised you’re still here,” he said as a compromise. “I thought you would’ve disappeared with everything else by now.”

 

“Yugi, please. This isn’t the way,” Atem said softly, the jacket clipped to his shoulders swelling with the erratic winds of the falling city. “You can’t give up now. You’re better than this!”

 

“…I know I am,” Yugi confessed, finally allowing his eyes to drop away from his heart’s illusion and down to the golden Puzzle Box next to his knee. “But…sometimes calling someone’s bluff is the best option, and then there are times when you need to fold and cut your losses.”

 

“And you think this is one of those times?” Atem stepped forward and crouched down onto one knee, forcing Yugi to look up and meet his eyes. “When I left, I saw a champion who would become stronger than I could ever be and more powerful than he could ever imagine. I saw a brave young man who would never back down from a challenge, no matter what odds were against him…Was I wrong?”

 

“What exactly do you suggest I do instead?” Yugi scowled, gripping the Quantum Cube so fiercely that his knuckles creaked. “If I go back with this, I’ll only make things worse! I can’t fight the Plana, and they’ll just continue with their plans to destroy everything back home!”

 

“The power of the Plana only works so long as I do not return from the Great Beyond—” Atem began to say, but Yugi cut him off with an angry cry.

 

“And he won’t! The Pharaoh is gone! Gone forever.” The tears continued to fall in spades, dribbling down his chin as he glared up at the shocked face of the only person he had wanted to spend eternity with. “I've known it deep down in my heart since we said goodbye. And seeing _you_ here is only making it that much harder to bear!”

 

The false Atem before him flinched back as though he’d been slapped across the face.

 

“I was fine before any of this happened! I was finally beginning to move on, but now—” Yugi dropped the Quantum Cube on the ground, reaching up and burying his face into his hands with a strangled whimper. “Please…just leave me alone! You’re not real, and it hurts so much more knowing that you’re not!”

 

There was a heavy pause, almost long enough for Yugi to hope that his words had been taken to heart and he was finally left to die in peace. Then, that familiar warmth enveloped him in a tight embrace and pulled him close, and try as he might to reject it, Atem refused to let him go. Angry, frustrated sobs were lost in the folds of the false Pharaoh’s shirt as Yugi’s fists pushed and punched at any part of his partner that he could reach, until what remained of his strength evaporated beneath a familiar weariness.

 

For a while, no words were exchanged. Just the warmth, the closeness, and then a whisper so soft that it was almost lost to the winds.

 

“I never meant to cause you more pain. You know how I am—if I see that you’re in trouble, I want to help,” Atem buried his face into Yugi’s hair, his words eerily calm despite the trembling of his fingers against Yugi’s arm and back. “I thought I didn’t have any regrets when I passed on...but after everything that’s happened, I realized just how much I missed you.”

 

“…I miss you, too,” Yugi murmured. Even if his illusion’s words made no sense to him, he couldn’t bring himself to care. At the very least, he would have the opportunity to see even a false version of the one he loved most before he faded away. “I love you, and I always will. But I know you had to go. I know that you can’t come back, and it’s _fine_ —”

 

“No, Yugi, it’s not. Not when all of this,” Atem gestured with his hand before clamping it back down onto Yugi’s back, “is what my absence has wrought. Not when it causes someone as strong as you to break.” 

 

“I don’t care if I’m broken. I just want everyone I care about to be safe and happy…even if it means I’m not with them. I don’t care what happens to me.” Atem finally loosened his grip, allowing Yugi to lean back and wipe the tears away from his cheeks. It was one thing to disappear due to unholy magical powers, but it was downright pathetic to die sniveling like a scared little child.

 

When he was calm enough to meet the Pharaoh’s eyes again, he was shocked to find his expression both somber and resolute.

 

“Is that truly what you want?” he asked. “ _Everyone_ you care about? You would wish for their happiness?”

 

“What are you talking about? Of course I do,” Yugi said with confusion. Atem cupped his tear-stained cheek in his hand before seemingly bracing himself and rising to his feet with a soft groan. Yugi watched with wide eyes, noting with alarm that the world had wasted away almost completely since their conversation had begun. Diva was nowhere to be seen, just as Yugi had threatened, and the fragmenting edges of the dimension had almost reached where they now stood with locked gazes.

 

“Yugi Muto, my precious vessel and dearest love,” Atem suddenly said, his deep voice echoing through the void around them and sending equal shivers of pleasure and dread down Yugi’s spine, “if I asked it of you, would you wish for _my_ happiness? No matter what it would take, or what it would mean?”

 

“…Atem, that’s all I’ve ever wanted,” Yugi murmured. “Why do you think I fought so hard to send you to the afterlife? I knew that was where you belonged, and that we needed to part ways in order to fulfil our destinies. But if it meant you could finally be at peace, and be happy, then it didn’t matter how much it would hurt to say goodbye!”

 

“…and if I asked you to wish for my return?” Atem asked softly. Yugi blinked, the shattered remains of his heart quivering with hope despite every iota of common sense telling him it was impossible. “If I told you that you could? If I told you that nothing would make me happier than to be by your side again?”

 

“But…but you’re just a figment of my imagination! You’re just what I want Atem to be like and it wouldn’t—” he tried to argue, but Atem shook his head with a smile.

 

“Yugi, please be honest with me. If I wanted to come back to you, would you accept me?” the Pharaoh asked. The edge of the world was drawing far too close for comfort, and Yugi knew that they didn’t have much time left.

 

No time for overthinking.

 

No time for doubting whether it was right or wrong.

 

No time to shout that this was all just in his head, and none of it would amount to anything worthwhile.

 

“Of course I would. If that’s what you truly wanted,” Yugi promised, gathering up the blood-soaked remains of his love and putting every ounce of it into his words. “Of course I would wish you back! And I would cherish you every single day for the rest of my life if you did.”

 

He wasn’t sure what he expected to happen next, but it certainly wasn’t for the Egyptian God Cards to start glowing from beside his abandoned Puzzle Box. He didn’t expect the golden pillar of light to descend from the heavens beyond the portal of death in the sky, slamming down and around Atem’s body as he stood immobile in its path. He didn’t expect the Millennium Puzzle hanging from Atem’s neck to chime and radiate with a light that burst outward like a smoldering flame, encasing the Pharaoh in a molten inferno that rivaled Ra himself.

 

A wave of cubic tendrils of light spread across the endless abyss around them, breaking through the darkness and banishing the blood red sky in seconds. Yugi could only watch in awe as the spirits of the Egyptian God Cards burst forth and floated up behind their former master, the blinding light slowly fading away to reveal Atem standing exactly where he had stood before all of the spectacle. Outwardly, the only difference in the body before him was a distinct and disturbing lack of a Millennium Item…and yet…

 

When Atem opened his eyes once more, there was a fire there that burned with five thousand years of wisdom.

 

 


	7. Wings of Relief

 

“Diva…”

 

Mani reached out and placed a gentle hand on Sera’s shoulder, struggling to bite back his own sounds of mourning as he stared at the white emptiness that surrounded them. The Plana Realm had disappeared as soon as the Pharaoh had returned to the world of the living, and soon they would all be deposited back on the mortal plane to fend for themselves without their power. Sera’s unstoppable tears spilled out from the spaces between her fingers as she buried her face in her hands, grieving the brother she had tried so hard to save and yet could never truly reach with her words.

 

Yugi Muto had defeated their brother at his own game, sending his physical form into the depths of the darkness for all time. The Plana was no more. The Pharaoh had returned once and for all. 

 

And for all of their sadness and pain, none among them would deny that Diva had brought his own demise upon himself.

 

“Why?!” she sobbed brokenly. “Why did he do this? Why did he allow himself to give into hate?”

 

“Sera…” Mani whispered. “There was nothing you could have done. Diva wouldn’t listen to reason.”

 

“I should have—I didn’t try hard enough!” she said. Mani shook his head, bending down and forcing his young soul-sister to look him in the eye.

 

“It is by Fate’s hand that your brother trapped Yugi Muto in that realm and met his end. No matter how strong your efforts, Sera, it still would have happened.” He brushed her tears away and tried to smile as reassuringly as he could through the agony ripping through his chest. “It’s for the best. We have to believe that.”

 

Heartbroken and helpless, the young girl nodded and accepted his embrace as their brothers and sisters faded away one by one around them. Perhaps one day they would all find one another again, granted forgiveness by the Gods and their lives free of suffering and despair. For now, though, they could only pray that the world that Yugi Muto had been so willing to give his life for would be kind to them as it never had been before.

 

And Sera, at least, was willing to believe in the light that the Pharaoh had descended from Beyond to protect.

 

 

* * *

 

 

“…what?!”

 

The three terrible beasts above him seemed to laugh silently at his bewildered squeak, and even Atem could not seem to hold back a smile. The Pharaoh stepped forward as the last of the light faded away, reaching out with both of his hands in a wide, welcoming gesture. Yugi accepted his invitation almost unconsciously, and once they were both on their feet, he realized with a start that they were standing in the middle of the park nearest to the Game Shop.

 

After being trapped so long in a fake world dominated by silence, the amount of tiny sounds that consolidated into a quiet roar of life was surprisingly jarring. He took in the bright city skyscape in the distance, the soft green grass and blooming trees surrounding them, and finally, he stared in open wonder at the miracle standing before him.

 

“Atem?” He reached forward and gently caressed the Pharaoh’s cheek, and was shocked at how warm and solid his skin felt beneath his fingertips. Atem leaned into his touch with a shaking sigh, reaching up to cover Yugi’s hand with his own.

 

“Yugi,” he whispered back.

 

The flickering forms of the Egyptian Gods began to fade away against the night sky, but just as Yugi began to fear that his heartfelt illusion was finally going to disappear forever, he realized that Atem remained just as corporeal and solid in front of him. Midnight winds wafted through their spiked tresses and swayed the freshly blooming trees as the two men stared in open wonder into each other’s faces.

 

“I’ve missed you. I’ve missed you so _much_.”

 

“Wha—but—I don’t—” Yugi stuttered in confusion. He brought his other hand up to rest on Atem’s shoulder, feeling the fabric of his jacket bunching beneath his palm and the warmth of life spreading under his skin.

 

 _Real_.

 

Atem was real.

 

“It’s alright, Yugi. It’s over now. I’ve returned to the world of the living, and so the power of the Plana is no more,” Atem explained. He tentatively wrapped his arms around Yugi’s waist, bringing their chests together and gently resting his forehead onto Yugi’s with a satisfied exhale. Yugi’s body trembled as the adrenaline pumping through his veins in his final moments—or so he’d believed—began to dissipate. He clutched desperately at the body before him as his legs gave out, shocking Atem as the Pharaoh tried and failed to keep them both upright.

 

“AH! Yugi?! What’s wrong? Are you alright?” He laid Yugi on the soft grass beneath them, leaning over him with wide eyes and nervously hovering hands.

 

“You’re real,” Yugi gasped, blinking away the dizziness and numbness that came with the sudden revelation. “You’re really real!”

 

“Of course I am. You’re the one who created this body for me, remember?” Atem chuckled uneasily as he continued to search for the cause of his partner’s sudden fatigue. Yugi blinked and forced his weary hand to reach up just enough to latch onto one of Atem’s arms.

 

“What? I don’t understand!”

 

“You heard what Diva said, didn’t you? In that other dimension, you created an exact likeness of me—you even made another Millennium Puzzle,” Atem explained patiently. “By doing so, you unwittingly managed to create a vessel for me to inhabit on earth. Even though everything in that world was made from your memories, that body was still flesh and blood…and now, so am I.”

 

“You… _possessed_ the fake you? Why?!” Yugi asked. Atem smiled down at him with more adoration than Yugi thought he deserved, angling his body just enough so that they were lying down side by side.

 

“Do you really think that I didn’t hear your cries for help? That I wasn’t watching over you this entire time?” he asked, lovingly stroking a small portion of Yugi’s blonde fringe in between his index finger and thumb. Yugi felt his eyes burn with fresh tears and his cheeks darken with heat. “You are the most precious thing to me in the entire universe, Yugi. I would have done anything to save you from that terrible fate.”

 

“But if you’re _here_ …that means you can’t go back! You’re supposed to be—” Yugi wept, his heart overflowing with both boundlessly joy of seeing his partner again and remorse for stealing his Pharaoh’s peaceful rest away. Atem shook his head, waving away Yugi’s protests as though they were a minor inconvenience rather than a life-altering event.

 

“The Great Beyond is overrated,” he said.

 

“Atem!”

 

“I knew what the consequences for your wish would be when I chose to grant it, Yugi. And I don’t regret that choice, not even a little.” Atem leaned even closer, brushing his nose against Yugi’s in a playful, loving gesture. “I wanted to save you, to be with you, and the Gods gave me the power to do it. I’m human again, my love, and I can live out the rest of my days with you…if you keep your promise, that is.”

 

‘ _If I wanted to come back to you, would you accept me?_ ’

 

It was too good to be true, and Yugi feared for a long moment that it was just another one of Diva’s cruel tricks granting him happiness in the face of certain annihilation. But the more details he took in from the body beside him, the longer the cold midnight air dug into their pores, the less and less it all felt like a dream. The Millennium Puzzle was nowhere to be seen, Diva and the Quantum Cube had vanished with the rest of the false dimension, and with no other plan of action or clear idea of what their future entailed, Yugi fell back onto the one thing he could always trust.

 

His heart.

 

“Of course I’ll keep my promise! I’d never push you away, you have to know that by now!” Yugi swore softly. His shellshock finally began to fade away as he wrapped his arm around Atem’s waist and tried to burrow his own body into every part of the Pharaoh that he could reach. A soft chuckle filled with barely hidden relief was his reward, and they rolled together across the park grass until Yugi was straddling Atem’s hips and leaning over him with an uncontrollable smile. “I can’t believe it! It’s really you!”

 

“It’s me,” Atem said comfortingly. “I’m here.”

 

Without thinking, Yugi leaned down to press their mouths together and sink into Atem’s warmth. The Pharaoh jumped in surprise for only a moment before reaching up and clutching at Yugi’s shoulders, tilting his head back and opening his lips for Yugi’s access. They kissed in long, slow bursts of the softest of affections, their fingers running aimlessly over each other’s bodies and memorizing every inch they could reach. Eventually, even the heat from their embrace was not enough to combat the chill of the late hour, and Yugi forced himself to pull away from his new lover with a groan.

 

“…what do we do now?” he asked, pulling them both up to sitting and staring into the other’s eyes. Atem sighed and took in their surroundings with a small frown.

 

“I’ll admit I wasn’t planning on coming back before a couple of minutes ago. So, really, I don’t have any plans at the moment,” he said sheepishly. “First things first, I think we should get you home as soon as possible. Your Grandpa has been in a state of panic for far too long for his health.”

 

“Wait, how long was I in that other dimension?!” Yugi gasped in horror, realizing how worried all of his friends and grandfather must have been since his sudden disappearance.

 

“You were only gone for a day here in the real world. But still…” Atem said. Yugi blinked and glanced down at his hands, shocked to find that the wounds from his encounter with Kaiba’s dragons were completely healed.

 

“…it all felt so real,” he whispered uneasily. Atem took his trembling hands in his own, their matching silver cuffs clinking gently against one another.

 

“It _was_ real, Yugi. You made it so,” Atem said. The young—at least physically—Pharaoh stood and attempted to help Yugi get to his feet. The young duelist found his legs still uncooperative, however, and plopped back onto the ground with a weary sigh.

 

“I can’t! I’m too tired!” he whined. Atem released his hands and placed his own onto his hips with a playfully bland expression.

 

“You’re still too young to be tired!”

 

“And you're too old to not be dead yet, but here we are!” Yugi groused. Atem snorted good-naturedly and hid his morbid chuckle into the back of his hand. Yugi couldn’t help but smile at the beautiful sound, though that smile quickly crumbled when the Pharaoh reached down and effortlessly scooped Yugi up into an ungraceful bridal carry. “HEY! What are you—put me down!”

 

“It’s late. If you can’t walk on your own, then I’ll just have to carry you,” he explained calmly, although Yugi knew him well enough to recognize the faint twitch of his lips at the corners. He scowled and made sure to poke at his partner’s ribs with his heels as he began to walk them down the familiar path towards home.

 

“How are you even strong enough to lift me? I’m not that small, you know!”

 

“I may have a human body now, but that doesn’t mean that I’m no longer a god, Yugi,” Atem said with a prideful smirk. Yugi blinked and stopped attempting to fight his captivity in the Pharaoh’s arms, allowing that statement to replay in his mind a few times before responding.

 

“Wait, you’re a—You’re kidding, right? How is that even—?”

 

“It’s the same fate that awaits all the Sons of Ra. When we transcend the mortal realm, we become the Gods we were hailed as during life and take our place among the stars. Why do you think I was powerful enough to grant your wish for my return?”

 

Yugi chose not to answer that, gently wrapping his arms around Atem’s neck and despondently burying the side of his face into his chest.

 

He should’ve known. His Grandpa had always told him the stories of the Ancient Egyptian rituals and beliefs, not to mention the undeniable proof that he’d been shown that the Egyptian Gods were not as theoretical as many scholars tended to argue. Atem had always been extremely powerful, able to bend magic to his will and create miracles with the draw of a card, but this time had been different. The Pharaoh’s ascension had granted him immortal powers beyond anyone’s wildest dreams, and he had wasted it away on a pathetic excuse for a human like Yugi.

 

What kind of cruel demon was he to selfishly pull a god down from the Heavens?

 

“Please don’t do that,” Atem suddenly pleaded, pulling Yugi out of his tormented thoughts with a wince.

 

“What?”

 

“Devalue yourself. It hurts me when you do that.” Yugi bit his lip in guilt, debating whether to argue against one who once knew All. It was one thing to know his own strength and push through the darkest of days with hope still burning strong in his soul, but it was another to believe a simple nobody like him was worthy of a literal god’s affections.   

 

“I’m not trying to. It’s just—”

 

“Just nothing,” Atem denied sharply. His grip around Yugi’s knees and chest tightened just enough to ensure there would be no dispute to his words. “You are my Chosen, my Precious One, and none shall trespass against you so long as I have breath—not even yourself.”

 

Yugi swallowed the lump in his throat, and decided for his own sake that nothing else in the world needed to matter anymore. Atem loved him with the ferocity of the Sun, undeniably and unforgivingly, and it threatened to burn the hearts out of both of them. But what more cherished gift could Yugi ever hope to receive than the blind devotion of that which was divine?

 

“I was such a fool, back then…I never told you how much I loved you,” Atem whispered almost brokenly. Yugi shook his head and stared up at the faintly glittering stars above their heads.

 

“You never had to. I felt it every second of every day,” he said. “I only hope you know how much _I_ love _you_ , even now.”

 

“I do, even if I don’t deserve you.”

 

It was only a few silent moments later that the glare of the bright Game Shop lights broke through the darkness of the night. Yugi glanced up at his childhood home with unbridled relief, thankful that every wall and every window was exactly the same as he remembered. Atem gently, reluctantly, sat him back onto his feet, though neither of them had the self-control to let go of each other’s hand.

 

Now that all of Yugi’s memories were back to their original state, he realized just how unnerving being able to touch Atem truly was. After Atem had passed on, it had taken him a long time to get used to the sudden overwhelming emptiness within his mind and soul. Now, even though they were no longer connected through their mental bond, he was relieved to find that he could still feel the comforting warmth of his partner’s soul pulsing close beside his own.

 

It would never be the same as it was before, but Yugi found himself unable to complain about a miracle when it was smiling so beautifully down at him.

 

“Well, let’s hope Grandpa doesn’t have a heart attack when he sees us!” he murmured with a worried grimace. Atem chuckled in agreement, not a trace of nervousness or regret in his eyes, as Yugi reached forward and tugged the front door wide open.

 

There was still so much work to do, and so many plans yet to make. After his grandfather’s fears for his life and safety were put to rest, Yugi would have to break the news to all of his friends and find a way to integrate the once-passed Pharaoh into the modern world. But even so, he couldn’t bring himself to feel anything but blessed at this second chance the Gods had granted him.

 

And for the first time in far too long, his life felt complete again.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading, everyone!


End file.
